Once in a Blue Moon
by Stessa
Summary: Those life-altering experiences that everyone is always talking about, they had never happened to Bella Swan. That was, of course, until she met Alice Cullen on her first night in the small town of Forks, Washington. Femslash.
1. Chapter One

**ONCE IN A BLUE MOON**

now an _Alice and Bella _story

written by _**Stessa **_

**Chapter One**

Since I've been a little girl, my mother has gone out of her way to teach me about the so-called 'rare moment', the one thing that happens, where you just know that everything has changed. It can be a defining lesson at school where you really find out what you want to do for the rest of your life, it can be an epiphany that you have while you dream about something you never thought possible, or it can be when you meet that one special person, whom you're sure is going to make a difference for you.

It's not often that these things happen, but the average person should get them every ten year or so. At least that's what my mother told me when I was young. I remember looking at her with wide eyes and my mouth halfway open in disbelief. I didn't understand how one thing can be so life-altering, but it's true, I know that now. It can be many things, it differs from person to person, but they're all alike in the way that they make a difference. It can be either good or bad, but something changes, something special, something you'll remember for the rest of your life, and that's how it's so defining.

I'm not really sure I've had one of those rare moments yet. I mean... nothing special has happened in my life, and I'm Bella, simply just Bella, who're nothing out of the ordinary. Actually, I'm so close to ordinary, I might be described as downright boring. But I don't mind; blending in and keeping quiet is what I'm good at. I wouldn't want to change that for anything. I feel safe where I am right now, so why would I jeopardize that?

I wouldn't want to, but sometimes these decisions are made for you and you can't change that. I mean – my mother getting married was one thing, Phil's such a great guy and I was happy that she finally found someone great to spend the rest of her life with, but I hadn't really thought that I'd end up as third-wheel in their marriage. I actually turned out to be more trouble than good, and that's how I ended up telling my mother that I was going to live with my father for a while. It wasn't really something I wanted, but I knew it would make her happy; she wanted to see the world with Phil and I wasn't going to stand in the way of that.

So that's actually how this entire thing started. I had to move from Phoenix to the small town Forks – not exactly my dream come true, but my father's the chief of police there and he's happy. It was going to be weird to be with him so much again, because we're so alike that sometimes things get awkward, but on the other hand, it had been so long since I last saw him, it would be thrilling to finally hug him again.

One might have thought that moving so far away from home and leaving everything behind would be one of those rare moments my mother always talked about, but I wouldn't say so. It was just something that happened, an occurrence, and I couldn't change that. It wasn't huge in the actual epiphany-way, it was normal every day stuff and I just dealt with it.

It was the thing that happened afterwards that was going to change my entire life. I guess one could say that the move to Forks kick-started it all, because hadn't I moved there, it would have never happened. But the move wasn't the big deal; the big deal was meeting _her_.

I met Alice Cullen the first night I spent in town. It was strange for me to be caught in this little place with the woods surrounding every exit of the city, but I was brave enough to say to my father that I would go explore around for a bit. I wanted to get familiar with the area, perhaps meet a few kids from school. It was Friday after all, so they'd probably be hanging around at the local watering hole, as my father so lively putted it.

"Are ya' all unpacked, Bells?"

I looked up from my bed where I'd been lying on my stomach, with my head in my hands, reading one of my old love novels. It was something I always did to kill time. I've read all of them at least five times, but I never get tired of it. I love them more than anything.

I offered him the best smile I could muster, which I know probably wasn't much at the moment. "Yeah, mostly, I am."

He's a man of few words, I'm a girl of few words. The result? Very few words.

It was the mutual understanding.

He gave me a slight nod and was about to close the door, when I spoke of what had been on my mind since I started reading. "Dad? I think I'll – go out for a bit. Take a look around town."

My father smiled at me again. "Sounds like a good idea, Bells. Call me if you get into trouble."

I gave him a nod and that was that. I can understand why my mother screamed bloody murder after living here for only about a year. Someone like her doesn't belong in boring Forks. She needs excitement, exploring. She's so different from us, so full of joy and life, that's why Phil's good for her.

After my father dragged his feet down the hall, I got out of bed too. It wasn't like I wanted to go out and score someone's phone number, because that had never really been my thing, I had about... zero experience in that area, but I still wanted to look somewhat appealing when it was possible that I'd run into a future classmate. So I checked my appearance in the mirror and changed my t-shirt with the print 'Just a fucking t-shirt' to a little more appealing long sleeved shirt with a vest over.

I combed my fingers through my hair a few times and grabbed my bag from the bed and the car keys from my desk. It was an unfamiliar feeling to hold them in my hands, but I smiled to myself as I went down the stairs; the thought of actually owning a car had had my stomach flipping since I got here.

The car ride into the centre of town was rather short since Forks wasn't the biggest of places, but I enjoyed the first ride in my truck immensely. I parked on a parking lot near a sports shop, and locked the truck before I set off to wind up the youth of Forks.

It wasn't that much of a challenge, to be honest, but I took my time, getting my nerves in control. I've never been good with people, quite the loner, I admit it, so it was tough for me to have to find all new friends now. Not that I had many back in Phoenix, but still – I've had a few.

Eventually there was only one street I hadn't really tried, which was the main street, and I had known before even going in, that this would be where to meet people. I'd avoided it at first, but now there was only one way it could go – so I went down the pavement and the voices got louder as I got closer. There was some sort of music playing, but the main source of noise was people chattering away and laughing.

There were some people hanging around outside with a few beers, but I passed right pass them and entered the lowly lit place with a ducked head and tried to blink the smoke and thick air away, but it was almost impossible. I quickly located the bar and made my way through the throng of people while I tried to figure out which song was playing.

The bartender was an older man, ten years older than my father, at least. "What can I help you with, sweetheart?"

He was missing a tooth and I tried to smile at him. "A coke please." I said, and turned around on the spot as he went to get the drink. My eyes were getting used to the light inside so I quickly discovered why the song had been so hard to place; there was a karaoke machine, and the girl who was singing right now, wasn't doing such a good job. That's why I couldn't tell which song it was. I made a face and turned back around to greet the old fella.

"Here you go." he placed a big jug of coke in front of me and I placed a few bills on the counter, before I grabbed my drink and looked around to find a table. There was a bunch of kids my age gathered in one end of the room, so I automatically made my way towards them – I didn't want to be stuck with a bunch of the old men from Forks.

They were closest to the karaoke machine and they were all cheering on the girl who was trying to sing. They all seemed to know each other, and I didn't want to interfere in whatever they had going on there, so I took a seat a few tables away from their group and tried to look around the place while I sipped my coke – I didn't want to make myself too obvious. That's me. Simply, boring Bella.

The girl finished singing and jumped off the small makeshift stage with a huge smile on her face. Her pals cheered her on and her face got all red.

"Way to go Jess!" a quite attractive guy yelled and placed an arm around her. Even from where I sat, I could tell that the girl – apparently named Jess, which would be short for something – blushed even more.

Since no one else conquered the stage, a 'normal' temporary song started playing and I was almost done with my coke, since I'd been sipping it ever since I sat down. If I continued like this, I'd soon have to go to the bathroom. Coke went straight through me. I sat my glass back to the table and scanned the entire room. A group of guys, probably a little older than me, were looking my way, so I quickly gazed the other direction again, where my eyes once more settled on the group of friends.

They were all laughing and having fun. There were three guys and three girls and it looked like they were all coupled up. It would be so easy if I could just go over there, introduce myself and say I'd be going to Forks High – if I did that, it would make my first day at school on Monday much easier, because then I would already have met some people and it would make it less painful to start over at a new school.

As I was studying the girl who'd been singing closer, her eyes suddenly went to mine, and I looked down quickly, embarrassed to have been caught staring. I focused on the lines and crooks in the tree the table was made of, and held a comforting hand around my glass of coke.

It was just typical me; typically that I had to be caught staring at them, and now on Monday, I'd probably already have a rumour as the freaky new girl. How sad. I really need to start acting more normal.

I decided to glance to the side, just to see if she was freaking out or something, and I saw them all whispering with each other, their heads bumping together over the middle of the table. I sighed in relief; they might have been talking about me, but at least they hadn't come over here to start giving me crap about it. I downed the last of my coke and thought that I might as well just head on home. This was not my scene anyway; this was not me at all.

As I stood up to leave, that girl – Jess-something – stood up as well. I could feel my eyes widen and I clenched my jaw as she waved me over with a huge smile on her face. Should I just leave? Couldn't I just pretend to not see her and then go on home?

"Isabella?" she screeched through the music, "Isabella Swan? That's you, right?"

Okay. Alright. So she knew my name... should I be afraid now? I ought to, right? I turned my head to look at them again, and found that they'd all turned my way.

The slightly handsome boy flashed his white teeth at me, "You're Chief Swan's daughter, aren't you?" he questioned. He had these amazing blue eyes, and I caught myself smiling back at them.

"I'm Jessica." the singer said and waved at me once more, "Come sit with us. We've all be excited to meet Chief Swan's daughter. News travel fast around here, nothing much exciting happens."

I decided that I might as well go over there. Even if I had seemed weird when I looked at them, they were all being very nice to me, and this might be exactly what I need at the moment. Friends. New people in a new town. I wouldn't be alone at my first day of school... it was a good thing, wasn't it? And Charlie would be very happy if I came home and told him I'd already met some people.

I manoeuvred through a few of those round tables and stopped in front of the gang. I awkwardly waved at them, "I'm Bella."

"So you prefer to be called Bella?" Jessica questioned and pulled a chair over from another table, "That's good to know, come sit next to me."

I did as she asked me to, while the blue-eyed-boy introduced everyone, "I'm Mike," he smiled, and pointed at everyone as he spoke, "This is Lauren, Tyler, Eric and Angela. And Jessica of course." he laughed.

"Hi." I nodded to everyone and decided that I might as well try to be friendly.

"Is this your first night in town?" Angela smiled at me. She was quite beautiful as well. Actually, come to think of it, they were all good-looking around this table. Not movie-stars, I-can't-catch-my-breath good-looking, but none of them were ugly either.

I nodded again, "Yeah, I decided to take a look around, maybe meet some people."

It wasn't much to say to them for the first time, but I never spoke much; they'd soon learn that anyway.

Jessica was a very bubbly girl, I could tell, "Did you hear me sing?" she giddily asked.

I nodded again and awkwardly pushed a piece of my brown hair behind my ear. "Yeah, it was – it was good."

Jessica shone and Eric pushed his chair back, "I'm gonna go get some more to drink. Do you want one as well, Bella?"

"Thank you." I bit him off.

Tyler and Lauren decided to join him to get more drinks and I leaned back in the hard chair and watched as the other friends fell back into a familiar chatter. It didn't take me very long to see who I liked the most; Jessica was very out-going and a chatter-box; she talked a lot, while Angela was much more my type; quiet and sensitive. Mike was just cute and I knew I'd get along just great with him.

I was just humming lowly along to the new song that was playing, when someone took the stage. For a second I wanted to groan because the song had actually been on of my favourites by Muse, but I stopped when my eye caught the person who was getting ready to sing.

Or... could I really describe her as 'person'? I swear, my breath got stuck in my throat, and this weird, sensational feeling overtook my body as my eyes followed her every move. She was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen, possibly the most beautiful thing I ever _would_ see. She wasn't very tall, but somehow her presence filled the entire stage, her hair was short and black and her skin was... so pale. She was incredible, and my heart started beating faster than I'd ever experienced it before.

And right that moment, right that moment when she looked up from where she was adjusting the microphone, and her eyes caught mine in a tight lock, I knew that everything was going to be different now; I could feel it. Nothing would ever be the same, my entire life had been altered within a moment. Mother had always said that something like this would occur someday, I'd never thought it would, and yet, here I was, and it had just happened to me.

She tore her outstanding brown eyes away from mine and focused on her task again, but I couldn't look away from her. Everything about her was flawless; from the way she carried herself as she stood there, to the way the ends of her black fringe fell across her forehead.

She was... incredible.

"Oh, _that's_ just great."

Jessica tore me out of my trance, and I quickly turned back to the table, embarrassed that I'd been absent like that. Eric, Tyler and Lauren had returned and I found another jug of coke in front of me. I smiled thankfully to Eric, just as Jessica continued.

"If she's gonna sing, then I'll look like a total idiot. No way I'm gonna go up there again."

I could feel my heart beat fast again when I realized that they were talking about the incredible girl. I looked at Jessica again, and though this would probably sound so strange, I just had to ask, "Who is she?"

"Oh, that's Alice Cullen." Tyler took over as he lifted his bottle to his mouth for a sip.

I glanced behind my shoulder again for another peek at her, "She's... beautiful." I mumbled, and though 'beautiful' could not be used to describe this creature, it was all I could come up with.

Lauren spoke then, "So you like her, huh? She's nothing compared to her siblings. It's no fair, they're all so fucking beautiful. I don't even get how that's possible."

I felt my eyes widen, "So there's more of them?"

"Five to be exact." Angela decided to elaborate, "It's Doctor Cullen and his wife's adoptive children. There's Alice as you can see, and the other girl – Rosalie – she's even more beautiful-"

"Man, she's hot!" Mike chipped in.

"-as is her boyfriend, Emmett," Angela continued, as if she hadn't been interrupted, "well, he's one of them too, but they're dating. Then there's Jasper, he's a bit strange, but still beautiful."

"And then there's Edward." Jessica finished with a huge sigh on her lips. "He's possibly the most amazing man to ever walk the planet. He's incredibly hot, Bella, wait until you see him at school."

I had a feeling that I'd be just fine without seeing him as long as I had another Cullen to look at, but I didn't say that aloud to Jessica. It was very apparent to me that she had a huge crush on this Edward guy. "So you like him, huh?" I asked her.

Her eyes went wide, "Are you crazy? He's amazing. But – no one here is good enough for him, so you shouldn't waste your time either."

It hadn't exactly been in my plans, so I decided not to comment on it, and focused my attention to the small Cullen who was just getting ready to sing now. A slow rhythm started playing, and she leaned into the microphone softly. I don't know what I had expected to come out of her mouth, but no matter what, I was very surprised when I heard her sing. Maybe it was because I hadn't heard her speak, so technically I didn't know her voice, but I was caught of guard with how high-pitched her voice was. It didn't sound awful, not at all, actually, it sounded very good.

She was not even in tune with the music. Not that I knew a lot about music, but everyone would be able to hear that she was two or three octaves higher than the actual sound. It sounded beautiful and quite mesmerising to be honest, and it became clear to me, with every second that passed, that this girl – she was as good as I was ever going to get it. And no matter how awkward and impulsive it might sound; I wanted her. From right this moment, I wanted her.

"I don't get how she can sing that high, I really don't." Eric mumbled; apparently the entire table had been watching her very closely. Actually, when I came to think of it, the entire place was watching her very closely.

"Everything about her is weird," Lauren commented, and it hit me, right there, that I was never going to like _her_, "from the way she's dressed to her extremely high-pitched voice."

Angela bumped her shoulder to hers, "You're just bummed you can't sing like that." she teased her, and I applauded her inwardly.

Lauren crossed her arms in front of her chest and mumbled something I couldn't hear. I wasn't really trying to though, because I was still listening carefully to Alice Cullen as she sang her song on stage. It was getting close to the end, I could hear that, and I didn't really want it to stop, but I knew it would eventually. Alice had closed eyes now as she sang the last notes of the song, and when it was over, everyone applauded her. She smiled and curtsied before she hopped off the makeshift stage.

The others turned to continue their conversation face to face, but I couldn't just go on with my life like that. Everything was different now, and no matter how awkward it was for me to say so, I knew this was true. My life had changed – _I _had changed – within a matter of mere seconds.

I followed Alice Cullen with my eyes as she danced through the table, brushing right past me, so gracefully. She didn't carry herself like a normal human being, she was so graceful, so light and lithe on her feet. She would have made any ballerina jealous, that's for sure. Everything about her was delicate, from the way her small ears pointed up, to her nose, to her tiny fingers. She was just like a pixie.

I smiled to myself and sipped my drink to cover it, just as the pixie took a seat at a table again. I understood why I hadn't noticed her earlier, because she was sitting way in the back, and it was very dark and mysterious all at once. I gulped down half my drink in one sip and put the jug back to the table. I was eager to get home now, because I needed time to think; all this new information at once had my brain doing cartwheels, and I just needed to lie in my bed.

And I'd see these people on Monday again, so it was no problem. I guess it was safe to say that I'd be delightfully invited to sit next to them at their lunch table. I lifted my glass to my lips again and drank the rest of my coke. I almost spilled a little bit in eager, but I managed to cover it all up without any of my new friends noticing it.

I flashed all my teeth at them and pushed my chair back. "I'll – I'll be going home now then." I said to them all.

Jessica made a face, "So soon? But the evening is just getting started."

"I've got a lot of unpacking left."

She nodded in sadness, and Angela took over, "Will we see you during the weekend? We were planning to go for a movie, you can join if you want to."

I smiled warmly at her, thankful that she wasn't pushing me, that she was just making an offer, "I'll see if I have time." I replied, and then pulled my phone out of my pocket, slowly handing it to her.

She seemed to get the hint, because she typed her number in there, and handed it back to me, "Text me if you get time."

I nodded my head, "I'll see you guys – nice meeting you all." I finished, before I turned around the table and went for the door. As I was about to go outside, I turned back around once more and waved at them.

I stepped into the chilly evening air, and I shuttered in my thin jacket, but thankfully breathed in the fresh air. There had been stuffy inside that bar, and it was so nice to finally get some clean oxygen. I looked left then right in thought of which direction to go. I wasn't quite sure because I'd been here and there finding this place, and it was always much harder to actually find the car, than to leave it.

I decided to go to my right and continued down the road with my hands stuck deeply inside my pockets. Thoughts of Alice Cullen entered my head again, which I simply couldn't help. I'd only known of her existence for about a half hour now, yet she was stuck in my brain forever, I was sure of it. Something about her made me want her. I wasn't sure how exactly that worked, because I'd never really fancied someone before, but I was so intrigued, I just... had to be near to her.

My stomach curled funnily inside of me and my throat tightened. It could only be a sign of want, I was certain of that. It didn't even matter that she was a girl; I'd never considered myself anything, and it just so happened that my first real crush was on a female. What could I do? I knew I wasn't going to forget about her – I wanted her too much. It was not an option. Instead I decided to dwell in thoughts about her, as I turned a corner, and then came to a halt.

All thoughts of Alice Cullen were swept out of my brain when I realized I was in a blind passage. I turned back around, sure that my truck was around here somewhere nearby, but froze when I realized that I wasn't alone.

The older guys who'd been eyeing me in the bar when I first entered had – apparently – been following me, because they were now standing by the end of the passage, exactly where I needed to go through. There were three of them, and I knew for sure that they weren't just here to chat with me.

My insides froze over as I took a step closer to them, knowing it wouldn't help to just stand there and look like a fool – that'd only assure them that I was an easy target for whatever they had in mind. Keeping it calm and collected was essential in situations like these, so even when I was only a few feet away from them, I tried to play it cool, though my heart was beating faster and my palms were getting sweaty.

_Walk right past them with your head held high,_ I pep-talked myself. It was the only way I would be able to do this, I knew that about myself. But I also had a slight feeling that once I actually had to hold my head high, everything would come crumbling down, because that's just the sort of person I am. I'm not really a brave person in any sort of way. "Can I ge-get through?" I heard myself huskily whisper, cursing beneath my breath for even stuttering the slightest at a time like this.

The tallest one had a wicked smile on his face, "What's your name, pretty?" he asked as he reached a hand out and cupped my chin.

I brushed it off and told myself to get it together. Why was it so hard for me to take care of myself? I wasn't a baby, I could do this. "It's Bella, now let me through." I said to them, happy that I now had my voice under control.

Another one was all up in my business. "Don't you want to have some fun with us, Bella?" he whispered, and his breath smelled awful, and I just hoped I'd get out of there. It was so strange that something like this would happen in small town Forks. I'd lived in Phoenix my entire life, and never had anything like this occurred to me before. Oh, the irony.

For my taste, I was experiencing a little too much on my first night in Forks.

"Why don't you just step aside?" I demanded, still trying to keep that voice firm and hard. It showed a certain amount of courage, which I knew I didn't have when it came down to it. But they didn't need to know that. As long as I played my part right now, maybe I'd get out of there somewhat entirely me.

"Oh. Really?" one of them questioned.

Another one continued, "Can't you just-?"

"_No_. Can't you just step the fuck aside when she tells you to!" someone interrupted them.

The three guys turned their heads to see who had butted in to this little 'conversation', and I stepped onto my toes to get a better look at my saviour as well, and came to a halt – it was Alice Cullen. That little, beautiful female standing up to three big, muscular guys? What did she think she was doing? She was going to get us both hurt this way! Thought I couldn't help but feel slightly happy that she was now coming to my rescue.

One of them laughed, "Alice Cullen, huh? Come to rescue your little friend, have you?"

She didn't look intimidating at all as she stood there, both hands in her sides and with a cocky smile on her face. "As a matter of fact, I have." she bid him off as she took a small step closer to them. "Why don't the three of you just hurry on home to your mommies and let Bella go, huh? You know she's Chief Swan's daughter, right?"

That last comment certainly seemed to have an effect on the three guys, but they still weren't leaving. I was just watching Alice in complete amazement, suddenly certain that I wasn't going to get hurt, even if she was so tiny compared to them. The entire situation seemed highly ridiculous when thinking about it. Those three men could easily have taken us down, but they stood there, listening to tiny Alice Cullen as she told them what to do. It was odd, certainly. And I wasn't even scared any longer, for some strange reason.

She gave them a look that said 'aren't you leaving?', but when they didn't, her beautiful features suddenly curled up and her entire face curled into something I would have never expected to see on her gorgeous features. Her golden eyes turned black, and as her lips curled into a sneer, a set of perfectly white teeth showed in the most frightening way possible. She stepped forward and said with a hiss, "Leave!"

And this time, they did. Hadn't I known she was doing this for me, I would have hurried out of there as well. Actually, I felt compelled to follow right behind them, but something kept me there. Though she looked absolutely scary right then, I felt slightly intrigued. There was just something about her, Alice Cullen. Something special. Don't get me started on how it was even possible that something so delicate and amazing could look that scary, but apparently she was tougher on the inside.

As my eyes went to meet hers, her face was back to normal; the pretty girl I'd laid eyes on inside the bar was back – her golden eyes, her pale skin and the smile that could melt any heart. I stepped closer to her. "Thank you, Alice." I whispered, "I – I'm so glad you were here."

A shadow drew across her face, "You should be thankful I was leaving just as you were." she lightly said to me, and every trace of anger and darkness had been washed out of her voice: It was now back to how it should be, playful and chimy. The way I had thought it would be, after only hearing her sing.

"I am."

She flashed me a smile and at this moment, her teeth didn't seem scary at all, though it was the same ones she'd had moments before. "It's your first night in town and you attract all of this attention? You must be a danger-magnet, huh?"

I didn't know how it was even possible, but being closer to her, just made me even more interested than I was before. It was hard to explain, but I was almost drawn to her – I wanted to wrap my arms around her, to run my fingers through her hair, to caress that beautiful skin. I wanted to feel her body and press my lips against hers. It was strange to me, so different.

I stifled a laugh, "I've always been unlucky and clumsy."

She watched my face closely then, studied me for a second or two. It wasn't uncomfortable or weird, it felt good to be honest, good to let her eyes wander across every part of my body.

"I guess I'll see you in school on Monday, right?" she then wished to know.

I nodded, "Yeah, guess you will."

"Cool," she said, her light voice carrying itself through the dark alley like magic, "nice to meet you, Bella."

"Nice to meet you too, Alice." I whispered to myself, after she sat off down the street with a speed that seemed very unnatural for a girl like her. But well, at this rate, nothing would surprise me with Alice Cullen.

* * *

_This is the first chapter which I edited so it wouldn't just be a one-shot anymore. This is now a full story. Chapter two will be posted very soon. _

_**Disclaimer; **I don't own Twilight. _


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two **

Some say that good things sometimes find you in the most unexpected way, that at a time when you're at your worst and completely worried about what's going to happen next, something wonderful comes along and suddenly everything seems to be better in some way.

I wasn't really sure how that would apply to me before, but I was certain that boring Forks had brought exhilarating Alice Cullen with it into my life. There was now nothing horrible about the fact that I was going to be stuck here with my father until graduation next year. I knew it was going to be okay, because for some reason I was sure that I hadn't seen or heard the last of Alice Cullen.

Even if Jessica and the rest of my new classmates at Forks High seemed to have something against all the Cullens because of how they looked, I was certain that Alice Cullen would become important. I'd thought her to be something special last Friday night, and I still thought she was. That meant I had to be right, right? I mean... it's been two days, and if I still feel that she's important, she ought to be, right?

I smacked my notebook close and placed it in the top drawer of the desk my father had put up for me. I didn't really bring many things with me from Phoenix, only my clothes and those personal possessions that I just couldn't be without, hence my entire book collection and a few other things. I hadn't expected to be here for more than a year, because then came college and an entirely new life. I still thought that that was going to be next, but I wasn't looking forward to it the way I had been. Suddenly the present had opportunities as well.

I grabbed my book bag from the floor and had to look around briefly for my car keys, before I grabbed those as well and set off to school. Charlie had left early, he had long days as the chief of police, but I didn't mind, I was a loner at heart, and I mostly preferred it that way. Even if Angela had implied that she'd be happy to help me unpack, I'd decided to do it myself, only with the company of my good friends of Muse. It hadn't taken very long, but I'd spent the entire weekend inside anyway, only leaving the house to go lurking around in the forest around Charlie's house.

It took a minute or two before my truck got going, and when I finally sat off on the way to school, I still found it strange to be driving this vehicle. It was one of the pros of moving here – I got my own car because it was difficult getting around here without one. Sometimes Charlie could be very observant, which I particularly liked about him, and other times, he could be so oblivious, which most of the time was a good thing too.

It wasn't hard figuring out in which direction Forks High was, and when I drove into the parking lot, I was amused when I saw the small building that supposedly held all of this town's students. It was nothing compared to the school I attended in Phoenix. Most of the students were standing outside, though the weather was chilly as usual in this town. I saw Jessica and Mike and the others by the steps and waved at them through the window in my truck, when I passed them to find a parking lot.

I parked next to a stunning silver Volvo that did not look like it belonged anywhere near a high school like Forks High, and next to that was the most bad-ass Jeep I had ever seen, which – naturally enough – also looked misplaced in this parking lot. Shaking my head to myself I got out of the car. Why would parents send their children off to school in such fancy cars? It made no sense whatsoever. And next to those two cars, my car looked like something that belonged in a metal graveyard. I closed the door and locked it before I set off to meet my new friends, if I could even call them that. They were all there, all six of them.

"Hi Bella!" Jessica cheered, clearly excited to see me again. But it appeared to be like that with her – always full of excitement, that Jessica.

I forced a smile upon my face and huddled myself up in my unisex raincoat. Luckily enough, most people wore something like that here, so I didn't feel so completely out of place. It relieved me for a while. "Hi guys."

"That's some pick-up truck you've got there." Eric said to me, eyeing my car with a sideways grin.

I couldn't help but chuckle because that statement was stupid when my truck was compared to those two cars right next to it. "Well, it's nothing like that silver Volvo, huh."

Lauren raised a smart-ass eyebrow. "That's a Cullen car. So's the Jeep."

I heard myself swallow and turned back around to eye the car once more. So that was a Cullen car, huh? Did lithe Alice Cullen drive such a Volvo? Or maybe the Jeep? I had a hard time picturing that inside my head and decided inwardly that one of her siblings would be driving them to school. I turned to my friends again and looked towards the building behind them. "So this is where you spend most of your time?"

Mike stuck his hands into the front pockets of his raincoat. "Yes. As sad as it is, this is where we go to school."

"Why are we all standing outside?" I questioned with a tiny laugh on my lips. I had a good feeling why.

"We don't want to go inside before completely necessary." Angela told me with a small smile. She duck into her bag then, and picked up a tiny digital camera. "I want a picture of all of you, can you huddle together?"

I was so not a picture person, but I didn't want to upset the one of these people whom I actually liked. Angela was – so far – the only person I actually thought would understand me somehow. Don't get me wrong, the others would make great friends too, but Angela was not all like them. She was shy too, she was smart. Not just another teenage duplicate.

The rest of us posed together in front of the steps of the school, well, I didn't exactly pose as much as I just stood there with an awkward smile on my face, but it got done and Angela seemed really happy that it did.

"I should probably go to the office to sign in." I said then, brushed a piece of my hair behind my ear and waved at them. "I'll be back soon." I mumbled, before I set off towards the only building I assumed to be the office one. When I stepped inside, I was immediately relived that no one else seemed to be here other than the woman behind the counter.

Signing in with her was very quick and painless. She told me a little about school and showed me how to get around, which I was sure would be no problem at all. The school was such a small one, and I was bound to have at least one of my new friends in each of my classes. I thanked her with a stiff smile and stuffed my papers into my bag, before I entered the parking lot again.

My friends were still waiting for me, which of course they wouldn't have had to, but I thought it was very nice of them, even if I didn't want them to be clingy around me. I needed my space, and as soon as it got enough, I was going to have to deal with getting them to leave me alone. But hopefully it wouldn't be a problem. If I could just eat in peace with my thoughts while they talked – that would be wonderful.

I was about to cross the parking lot to join them again, when I came to a halt. That was when I saw them – two of the most incredible people I'd ever seen. Right there in the middle of Forks High School's parking lot. The girl – or could I really call her girl? She looked more mature than any high schooler I'd ever met – was stunningly beautiful. She had a tall posture with forms like a supermodel and her hair was the most beautiful blonde. The guy was just as handsome; he was muscular, with arms and a chest as a real body-builder, but it didn't make him look stupid like it normally would have. They were both _incredibly_... incredible.

And I new in an instant, that these would be two of Alice Cullen's siblings.

I'd thought of a lot of things during my weekend at home while I tried to settle in and unpack, but mostly I'd thought about Alice Cullen and how that pixie-like girl could come to my rescue like that. But her siblings had also crossed my mind. I knew they were all adopted and didn't necessarily have to look alike, but when I saw these two, I knew who they were. They didn't really have the same features as her in anyway, but there was something about them – maybe it was the way they carried themselves? Or maybe it was how they somehow all had the same complexion. I mean, I could see they were just as pale as her, even from where I was standing.

And I knew who they were too. These must be Rosalie and Emmett. There was one girl besides my tiny rescuer, and this had to be her. And who'd be her boyfriend? Psh, the one holding her hand in the parking lot.

I let my eyes follow the two Cullens as they went inside. I thought to myself though, that Angela hadn't been right last Friday. Rosalie wasn't the most beautiful of them like she'd said. I still thought Alice was above her in any way. But I wasn't about to go and demand she explained herself. No need to tell anyone that I'd spent my first weekend in Forks pining in my room with thoughts of Alice Cullen.

I joined my friends again and gave them a sideways smile. "All signed in!" I said, maybe a bit too cheery in my desperate hopes of not letting them know that anything was out of the ordinary.

Jessica shrugged her shoulders. "So what do you have first?"

I tried to think briefly back to my class schedule and said, "Spanish."

"So do I!" Jessica cheered and placed a loose arm around me. Under normal circumstances, I wasn't really a person who enjoyed letting other people touch me just like that. Usually, it required years and years of knowing me first, but right now, I didn't want to seem weird, so I let it be, and awkwardly followed my new group of friends into the school.

The only thing that cheered me up was the thought of the fact that I might see Alice Cullen again.

**x**

The first classes flew by pretty uneventfully. I did not share either Spanish or History with Alice, but my fingers were crossed for either Biology or PE. Though I would hate it if she had to look at me while I made a fool out of myself, doing whatever sport the teacher had planned for us. That was the thing about me – I was too clumsy to even walk on a plain surface, how was I to do a sports then?

If none of these classes had Alice Cullen in them, there'd always be Creative Writing and Maths tomorrow. If none of these classes held Alice – then I'd have no other chance at seeing her than at lunch.

Which was were I was headed right now anyway, with Eric, whom I'd had History with. It turned out that he was pretty sweet as well, once I got him alone. He was smart, which was something I'd always loved having in a friend. He could remember the weirdest dates in American History and it was fun partnering up with him. But I still hoped with everything I had that Alice Cullen would be in Biology with me after lunch.

Eric and I went in line in the cafeteria. He'd already assured me that there was plenty of room for me at their table during lunch, so I wasn't concerned – which normally I would be – as to where to sit being the new girl. Eric told me a little about the cafeteria food, what tasted good, and what I desperately needed to stay clear off. The selection of food wasn't nearly as big as it'd been at my high school in Phoenix, but I settled for a can of coke and some fruit. I wasn't really that hungry anyway.

As I followed Eric towards their table in the middle of the cafeteria, I quickly scanned the entire room for signs of the Cullen family. I knew I'd be able to locate them immediately in the midst of all these ordinary teenagers. The three Cullens I'd laid eyes on so far had been something out of the ordinary, and I was sure the rest of them would be so as well.

And I was right. I knew that as soon as I saw their table; it was off to the side, and the few tables next to theirs were empty. But there they sat, all of Dr. Cullens five adoptive children. My eyes immediately went to Alice, who sat stiffly, her feet dangling over the floor, because she was too small to reach it. She had a can of coke just like mine in front of her, but it wasn't even open. An apple sat there too, untouched. Next to her sat the couple from the parking lot. Rosalie and Emmett. They looked into nothing much like Alice did and they weren't eating either.

My stomach curled together for a second, as Rosalie's eyes scanned the room and for a brief second locked with mine. It was the most intense look I'd received in my lifetime, and it only lasted for about a second; her eyes were the same darling colour as Alice's, but they didn't hold the playfulness that Alice's had as she said goodbye to me last Friday. They were rough, cold. But before I even managed to look down in embarrassment, as I'd been caught staring, Rosalie had turned her head and her lips were moving with an enormous speed as she said something across the table. That was when I decided to look away, hoping that Alice had not seen me.

But as I sat down between Mike and Angela, I dared to look up again; no one seemed to have moved at their table, and if Rosalie's comment had caused any sort of reaction from any of them, it was long gone now. I dared to look at the last two people at their table. Edward and Jasper. I wasn't really sure who was who right then, but I studied them, and came to the conclusion that they were incredible beautiful as well; with the same white pale skin and brown eyes. They also had the dark shades beneath their eyes as if they hadn't slept for a very long time. The same shades that Alice, but also Rosalie and Emmett had.

But other than that, nothing else let me know that they were a family. Which of course, they were, though not blood-related. They had very different looks, but these few things, these few very characteristic things, they had in common.

"I see you've noticed the rest of the Cullens." Angela told me between bites of her Caesar Salad.

I gave a stiff nod. I didn't want to let her know that I'd been studying them like crazy, though 'noticed' would not very well describe how I'd looked at the Cullens. "I'm just not sure who's Jasper and who's Edward." I replied, letting my curiosity get the best of me. I just had to get the Cullens straight if I ever talked to Alice again.

Angela couldn't help but smile. "Jasper's the one who looks like he's in pain, Edward is the other one – the most gorgeous one." she paused. "Actually, Jasper's Rosalie's twin brother. Their real surname is Hale, though everyone just refers to their family in general as the Cullens."

"Oh... okay." I said lamely, but inwardly I couldn't thank Angela enough. She'd just given me plenty of information I hadn't even asked for.

"What are you talking about?" Jessica asked from across the table, eager to join our conversation, since Mike seemed to be paying no attention whatsoever to her; he was busy talking to Lauren about some paper they'd had due in French that he didn't hand in.

Angela sipped her coke. "We were just talking about people around school." she told our friend, and with every minute that passed by, I liked her more and more. She did not have to leave out the Cullens, but she did.

Jessica turned to me. "So. Any guys you think are cute again?"

I shrugged my shoulders. Plenty of guys. Plenty of cute. But... I never really took notice of any of these things together. "I can't really keep track of everyone." I honestly replied. "I'm not so good at remembering faces."

"Do you want to borrow my yearbook?" Angela asked me then. "I have it in my locker. You can at least try to get the people in your classes straight."

I swear, that girl – she was going to be one of the best friends I'd ever had. "I'd love that. Thank you Angela!" If I could insert a smiley in that sentence, there would have been at least five big ones.

Jessica sighed heavily. "I wonder if Edward Cullen will ask anyone to the upcoming ball. He never does. If they attend, every each of them come alone. Of course not Rosalie and Emmett, they're together, but the rest of them... they always come alone." she shook her head and looked into the table for a second, and I held my breath. No guys for Alice? I wonder why that made me feel particularly hopeful?

"Of course the two freaks wouldn't have dates." Lauren butted in. She was seated right next to Jessica and looked just as negative as the last time I saw her. "But Edward – he should've. He's gorgeous."

I wonder why none of them seemed to correct Lauren when she titled Alice and Jasper as freaks. The only thing I noticed was that Angela seemed uncomfortable with it, but no one said anything. Was that the general observation? That Jasper and … Alice … were freaks?

Of course I could see why people would think that they were a bit strange – but that was the entire family. With their pale skin and the way they just stuck together, sat there alone like five statues. Their names also had a fun attitude to them. None of them were popular names, they weren't strange per say, but they were old-fashioned. People rarely named their kids Edward or Rosalie these days.

"Edward's weird too." Mike commented next to me in a whatever voice. I could tell that Jessica often drooled over Edward – it was something that happened on a regular basis, and Mike was probably pretty tired of hearing about it. They were fascinated with the Cullens – almost all of them – but none of them seemed to like them particularly.

I wanted badly to tell them what Alice had done for me last Friday, because I wanted them to stop being idiots. But on the other hand, I wanted that incident to be unspoken, something that only Alice and I - and those fuckheads who tried to mug me – knew about. They wouldn't believe me either, I knew that. If someone had told me that tiny, fragile Alice Cullen had scared off three big guys, I would have laughed my head off. Something about her appearance just didn't seem as if that would be likely.

"So they never date anyone?" I dared to question with a small voice.

Jessica shrugged. "Nah. I think Jasper has a girlfriend somewhere. Sometimes we see her with them on weekends, and sometimes he's off school for a while, but Edward – nah. And Alice is just... well, not like anyone else I know."

I turned my head slightly to the side and glanced briefly at their table again. Something about them was just so... extremely amazing. But Jessica was right. Alice Cullen was not like anyone I knew either – just in a more positive way than she meant it.

**x**

Angela had handed me her yearbook on the way to Biology class, which I shared with her and Mike. They usually partnered up, she told me, as we entered the classroom. I had hoped maybe I could join them, but as I looked around the room, I noticed that all the labs were for two people and that only one seat seemed to be available – and that was next to a Cullen.

Too bad it wasn't the Cullen I'd been hoping for.

I shuffled to my seat clumsily, trying not to trip as I held the books in my arms. I hoped he hadn't noticed how I'd gaped at his family during lunch, because that would just be embarrassing. But he seemed unaffected as I took as seat and placed my books on the table.

"Hi." I mumbled. It was OK to try to be polite, wasn't it?

He extended his hand like he was a true gentleman. "Hello. My name is Edward Cullen."

I shook his hand briefly, and was surprised, not only by how he was the only teenager I'd ever met to actually give me a hand to shake, but also at how cold his skin was. I pulled my hand back.

"You're... Bella Swan, right?"

I wondered if his sister had told him about our little encounter last Friday or if he just knew about me because news travel rather fast in this small town. I nodded.

He flashed his perfectly white teeth at me and for a second I felt the way I'd felt Friday night, when Alice had pulled her teeth out to scare the bad guys. But it only lasted shortly; apparently the look on my face gave me away. "Looks like we're going to be partners in Biology. You took Biology in Phoenix too?"

He was being polite and I was being weird. The madness had to stop. I pulled myself together. "I took Biology on the highest level."

"This might work out then." he commented, before he opened his text book and turned to look towards the blackboard, just as the teacher entered.

It did work out pretty well, to be honest. I found Edward oddly intriguing, like I'd done with Alice when I first saw her, but it wasn't the same way exactly. This was more fascination than anything; he had everything that Alice had. The same characteristic features. But it wasn't exactly the same. He wasn't the lithe person that she was, and his voice wasn't the chimy bells I heard when Alice spoke to me. He was good-looking, no doubt about that, but he wasn't beautiful, not like Alice.

But Biology did fly by quickly, and he was smart, which was nice for a change, because I could actually rely on what he said regarding biology; I had a feeling we'd end up as perfect lab partners. He kindly said goodbye to me and I followed Mike outside, because I knew he had PE in last period, just as I did.

"So... you ended up working with Cullen, huh?" he commented as we crossed the lot to get to the building where we had PE. It was raining heavily outside, but how would I ever expect differently in Forks?

I shrugged my shoulders. "Sure."

He chuckled. "Lucky you. He's so smart. I'd give anything to work with him, but he'd rather work alone, which has suited him nicely since we were an uneven number of students in class."

I should probably be offended, but I didn't want to get into it now. "Guess so." I just replied.

"So what did you think of him?" Mike questioned then. So this was what it was all about; he wanted to hear my opinion on Edward Cullen. I don't know what he expected me to say because I rarely knew the guy, but something I had to say.

"Don't know. He's smart, cute." I shrugged my shoulders again.

"Just cute?"

I bit myself in my lower lip. So we were playing it that way, huh? Was it just me, or did I detect a little bit of hope in his voice? I tried not to chuckle, because it was sort of funny, even if it was also slightly irritating. "He's not really my type. He'll be just a friend." I reassured Mike, but kindly also left out, that he had no chance whatsoever either – which I found weird, because I'd been so certain that he and Jessica were sort of together. Maybe that was just what_ she_ wanted. Funnily enough, I'd thought Mike wanted it too.

He seemed very pleased with the answer, but I was happy when I had to part with him to go into the dressing room to change. The teacher found me a set matching the rest of the class' and I changed in silence, not really familiar with any of the girls in the dressing room.

PE was obligatory here, which I hated, but naturally that made for a very big class, which I hated too, since that'd mean more people to embarrass myself in front of. We got divided into little groups of students and we had to play badminton. I knew immediately that I had to focus entirely on the task at hand, but also that I wouldn't succeed in any way.

And it was so true. I teamed up with a very brave Mike, but ended up – the one time I actually ran after the shuttlecock – slipping the racket in front of my right leg and falling flat on the floor. It hurt like hell and everyone looked at me, and I could just die. The teacher took mercy of me and told me to go join the other students, who – for some reason – couldn't attend class today. I felt my cheeks fluster as I dragged my feet towards the other end of the gymnasium.

I didn't dare look up during my walk of shame and sat down on a bench with my nose to the floor. Why couldn't I just be normally coordinated like most people? Why did I have to be so challenged in every way?

"I can see you're still in one piece, even though you did your best at changing that out on that floor, huh?"

I looked up as my heart stopped momentarily. I'd know that voice anywhere. I would recognize it any time after last Friday. Turning my head to the side, I found tiny Alice Cullen sitting next to me, dressed fancily and with her spiky hair pointing in all directions.

I couldn't help but smile as I was more thrilled to see her than I probably should have been. "Alice!"

"I take it that no guys have tried to rape you since Friday?"

I shook my head. "Those would be the only ones."

She laughed; a high, chimy laugh that sounded like bells in my ears. It was so wonderful to see her again, so up close. I'd thought so much about her, and almost decided that she couldn't be as beautiful as I remembered, but she was. She was absolutely stunning as she sat there.

"Thank God." she murmured, "I can't come to your rescue all the time. I have other things to do, you know."

I didn't know what to say to that, so instead, I chose to state the obvious. "You don't have PE."

She laughed again. "No. My father wrote me a note. I hurt my foot during the weekend."

I found it hard to imagine that anything could ever harm her after the way she handled those big guys, so I raised an eyebrow and said, "Your father is a doctor, right?" Not to mention the fact that she was wearing killer heels, and if she'd hurt her foot for real, she wouldn't have walked so comfortably in those. I decided not to dwell on it.

She nodded her head. "He knows what he's talking about."

A small silence erupted between us, and I had no idea what to say to break it.

Apparently Alice had plenty of things to say though, "Edward says you're in his biology class."

"I am."

"So what?" she questioned, her eyes scanning my face like an x-ray. "What happened? Did he dazzle you? Did you fall for him like every other girl in school?"

I wasn't quite sure, but I think I heard a hint of sarcasm – or was it nervous curiosity? - behind her light voice. "Edward's not really my type." I flatly replied.

Alice seemed genuinely happy with that answer. "Ha. You're the first girl in school to feel like that. He'll be thrilled to hear it!" And she laughed again. I couldn't help but join her briefly. "No seriously. Everyone always loves Edward."

I didn't really know what to say to that either.

Turning her wrist over, Alice checked her watch. "I think I'll head home now then." she said and stood up. I looked at her with confusion written all over my face, I bet. Did she just go up and leave whenever she wanted to? When we couldn't attend PE for some reason, the teacher always made us sit back and watch, at least that was the way it was in Phoenix. Was it different here? She laughed at my expression. "I don't really feel like sitting here. Perhaps they'll call my parents. Who knows."

I blinked.

"Do you need a ride home? I can take you." she asked me then, throwing her keys ridiculously high into the air, before she caught them again, without even looking.

As badly as I wanted her to take me home, I still had my truck in the parking lot and skipping on the first day of school was probably not a very good idea. I shook my head. "No thanks. Maybe another day." the smile at the end was forced, but I had no idea why I was so stiff all of a sudden. Maybe seeing her again had me all weird because I'd thought of her so much these past few days.

"Suit yourself." she replied, before she gracefully danced right past the teacher, who obviously saw her, but didn't say a thing.

Leaning myself back against the wall as I watched her close the door into the dressing room behind her, I couldn't help but wonder... what it was about Alice Cullen that had me so intrigued.

* * *

_So yes. Here I am with a second chapter to this story! A little while ago I posted this as a oneshot. Now, reading through my reviews, I realized that some people actually saw potential in this fiction, and after I went to watch Eclipse a few weeks ago with my friends, I decided to go home and see what I had in my notes about this. I hadn't really thought it'd evolve into more than just a oneshot, but after thinking about it, I decided to work on the plot and expand the story a bit. I have no idea how many chapters it will be, but I hope you'll enjoy every each of them immensely. _

_Oh. And I changed the ending of chapter one a bit just to get rid of the 'the story is ending here'-feel and leave it in a hopeful stage where it's possible for more to be added on. Just to make sure that it's clear to everybody – even those who read the oneshot, when it was first posted. I just wanted to mention it, in case some of you who read it back then, didn't read it now and just continued on to this chapter. It makes more sense to get the new end of the other one ;-) _

_And to end off with something else – thanks for the lovely support! I hope I'll hear more from you guys; your opinions mean the world to me. _

_**Disclaimer; **I don't own Twilight. _


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three **

Desperation looks good on no one. That's what my mother used to say to me.

I think that maybe she, too, had been desperate, and that she with all her might didn't want me to be so. She'd been desperate to leave my father when I was just a baby, and she'd been desperate to make sure I still had a relationship with him. That's why I'd been sent to Forks every summer until I was old enough to tell her no more.

She hadn't needed to worry about me being desperate though. I'd always found desperation quite... pathetic. So why was it, that I, on this Monday afternoon, having just returned from school, was sitting by the kitchen table while the food was cooking and my father was outside, looking through the yearbook I'd borrowed from my new friend Angela?

Was I _that _desperate to see just a tiny bit more of Alice Cullen?

I hadn't skipped right to her name when I got the chance. I'd told myself I needed to focus on the other students as well. I mean – wasn't it a good idea to try and get the names of my friends straight? Yes. I thought so too. I forced myself to read the few lines beneath all of my friends' smiling faces, just so I'd have the tiniest idea of who they were as a person. I learned that Mike's life ambition was to take over his parents' sports shop, and that Angela wanted to be a doctor. But eventually, I couldn't skip past her picture anymore, and I looked up the C's.

There she was. The first of three Cullens. _Alice Cullen_. I hadn't thought that her picture would do her justice in any way. How could a picture compare to her real self? She was too stunning for that to be even possible. But it was. She was the most incredible thing as she posed for the camera; a mysterious smile and those golden eyes looking straight into the camera, as if she was trying to calculate the photographer's next move. Her wild hair was pointing in all directions as I'd quickly come to love.

She. Was. Gorgeous.

I smiled to myself as I traced her pretty face with my finger. Beneath the picture of her, like any standard yearbook would have, was a few lines about her; it said that she was top of her Creative Writing class, took Art and Music, and got straight A's in school (I almost choked at this; was there something she wasn't perfect at?). Beneath all of that, there was one of her favourite quotes:

_Always show the you in you that makes you the you that you are._ - Chidinma Obietikponah.

I stared at the quote for a few seconds, just looked at the words and tried to pinpoint why exactly this quote would mean as much to Alice as it obviously did. I mean, if she put it as her favourite quote in the yearbook, it must clearly say something about her; or at least – she believed it did.

It was clearly something about daring to be different, daring to be yourself. Which I was certain that Alice had no problem with whatsoever, because I'd never met anyone like her. I felt pretty confident that Alice wouldn't be anyone but herself in this world. I'd seen that in her since the first time I saw her. She was Alice. Simply just Alice Cullen. And if people couldn't handle that. She didn't care about those people.

I continued to Edward, her brother, my Biology partner, and quickly scanned the lines about him as well. He was more scientific than Alice, but he also only got A's. It was pretty scary that they were all so perfect in every way. Even though I didn't find Edward nearly as attractive as Alice. It was the same thing with Emmett, the big one. He was smart, pretty... they had the entire package.

I couldn't help myself, so I quickly continued to the H's, where I found the Hale twins, Rosalie and Jasper. I wasn't so surprised when my eyes settled on them: Straight A's. Huh. They were just perfect. Every each of them were god-damned perfect. I wasn't quite sure if I could handle that, I mean, not that my grades were lousy or anything, but I'd never gotten Straight A's, that was impossible with my lack of coordination and the obligatory Gym I'd had for most of my life.

It was clear to me that this Cullen family, as strange as it was with how it had been created, was something entirely special. They weren't related, any of them, except Doctor Cullen's wife and her niece and nephew. But they were all a family anyway; perfectly pulled together. They were alike, yet so different, and they were all so _smart_. Had Doctor Cullen and his wife pushed all their adoptive children since they were young? Pushed them towards better grades, or had they just been incredibly lucky to get five children who were smarter than most other?

I had no idea why this could be, but the Cullens fascinated me. And I was desperate to get to know her, Alice Cullen, better; her entire life intrigued every fibre of my being, and I was pulled towards it faster than I could even manage to comprehend. Desperation had never suited anyone, and it did definitely not suite me now either.

I looked up when the front door to our house cracked open and my father pocked his head inside, "Bells? There's someone out here I want you to meet."

Feeling the curiosity rise in my body, I left the book open on the table and quickly checked on the food on the pan, before going outside to my father and this mysterious person I had to meet. Stepping onto the front porch, I couldn't help but crack a smile. Maybe my father didn't think I'd remember them, but chatting with him were no other than Billy Black and his – now very grown-up – son, Jacob Black.

"Isabella!" Billy cheered, and I had to step off the porch and bend down to give him a polite hug. He hadn't been in a wheelchair the last time I saw him, but I guess things change.

"I uh, I actually prefer Bella." I mumbled, before I stood back up straight and glanced awkwardly at Jacob.

He looked so different from when we used to play together as young kids. I knew time did that, but there were a few of his trademarks I'd never thought he'd lose. As for instance; his long black hair. It used to be longer than mine when I was a little girl, and he would normally wear it in a loose ponytail or just down completely. But... for some... odd reason... he'd decided to shave it all off.

Well. Most of it anyway. It was rather short and he looked so different. He'd always been the gangly, tall, awkward type, but he looked so muscular and so much older than me. Which I knew that he wasn't. He was actually a few years younger. And oh crap!, was he tall?

"Hi Jacob." I said and had to almost twist my neck to look up at him. "Long time no see."

"You too Bella!" he laughed, before he placed an arm around me and pulled me tight.

Charlie and Billy seemed to think that Jacob and I would get along just great. Which I knew was the truth. We'd always gotten along just great, because Jacob was just a lot of fun. "Jacob here is the one who fixed your truck." Charlie told me with a huff.

I couldn't help but be surprised. "You fix cars?"

He looked particularly proud.

"I love it. I know it's not very fast, but it's mine and I love it." I told him and glanced at the truck I'd so quickly grown accustomed to, even if I'd only driven it a total of four times. To me, it felt like I'd known my truck for all my life.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm glad you like it. It was no problem fixing it. Really."

I bit my lip in thoughts of something to say and with one look at the house, I knew it, "Oh. I'll have to go inside. I'm cooking." I paused before I even took a step. "Did you two wanna stay for dinner? I can quickly whip out another fish or two."

Billy seemed to really like that idea. "We'd love to!" he cheered.

I nodded my head and went inside, while Charlie and Jacob got ready to lift Billy and his wheelchair onto the porch. I retrieved two extra fish from the freezer and checked the ones already on the pan; it looked promising. They were almost done and with a little heat, these other two would be finished quickly as well.

I started heating them on another pan while I worked on a salad. I'd have to make a bit extra of that, I guess.

I looked up when Jacob entered the kitchen. He looked very huge inside, and I debated with myself whether or not he was actually more than 6'5''. "You've really grown, Jake." I told him, already falling into the old nicknames we used to share.

He couldn't help but crack a smile. "It's something with us Quileutes – we tend to grow a lot at this age."

"Well, I'm still tiny." I told him, even though I couldn't help but think of another person who was even tinier than me. _Alice Cullen._ Why was it that I mentally had to bring her up in random situations?

Jacob took a seat by the kitchen table and watched me work for a while. "You do all the cooking here then?" he wished to know.

I turned to him, a big kitchen knife in hand. "Sure do." I waved it at him. "I don't know how Charlie survived before I got here. He can't cook for his life."

Jacob chuckled as I turned back around. "I remember you being clumsy. How's that working out for ya' with those big knives?"

Turning around again, I gave him a stiff look. "Quite good to be honest. I mean, _now_, I rarely ever- GODDAMNIT!" I turned back around to the vegetables I'd somehow kept slicing even after I turned around to mock Jacob. That wasn't really such a good idea to be honest. Now I'd sliced my finger instead. I dropped the knife to the table and pushed my finger beneath the cold water.

Jacob had a twinkle in his eye when I turned around to look at him. "You rarely ever what?" he questioned then with a look of total innocence on this face.

"The band-aids are in _that_ drawer." I told him and motioned with my head towards the drawer right next to the fridge.

Chuckling even more, Jacob got off his butt and pulled out a plaster for me. Drying my finger off in some paper towel, I held it up for him and he carefully wrapped up my finger. I moved my finger slightly then and stared at the Disney themed band-aids with a look of total horror in my eyes. Charlie must have kept these since I was a little girl.

"Fa-ancy." Jacob teased me, before he took another seat by the table and I turned to finish the salad. "Hey," he said from behind me, his voice suddenly an entirely different one. "who's this you're looking at?"

I turned around in confusion, not really sure what he was getting at, but when my eyes settled at his finger, it was pointed right at Rosalie Hale. Fighting the urge to scream bloody murder, I quickly stepped forward and smacked the book close. "No one." I quickly said as if it didn't matter at all. Grabbing the yearbook with my free hand, I placed it on the kitchen counter.

Before I had even turned around, Jacob was at my side. "Bella." he firmly said to me. And there was something there. Something much more in his voice. Something I didn't recognize, even if I hadn't seen him for many years.

I took in a deep breath and turned to face him, very surprised to find his face so close to mine. "Jacob." I said back, tried to sound just as firm as him, but that wasn't possible; the mere closeness of him confused me, and his body radiated heat off of it, and I felt extremely hot and suffocated.

"The Cullens are dangerous people, Bella." he said to me, his voice barely above a whisper.

I swallowed hard and took a step away from him. "The – the Cullens?" I hesitated, and I was pretty sure he heard it. "The Cullens... who're the Cullens?" I was pretty sure that I was never going to win a prize for best actress.

His eyes were stern and a huge contrast to how I remembered my best buddy to be. He was being serious. Very serious. He blinked. "You know who the Cullens are."

I bit my lip. "I've – I've seen them at school today. Can't say I really know them."

He studied me for a few seconds, and I was afraid that he was going to see that the truth wasn't exactly what I'd told him. His eyes examined my entire face and I could practically see the wheels turning inside his head. He swallowed hard and finally came to a conclusion. "Good." he mumbled. "Let's keep it that way, okay?"

I turned to the counter again and continued to mix the salad in the bowl I'd put there when I first started cooking. I was very confused with the Jacob I'd just experienced. It was not a person I'd ever been familiar with before, and it was really strange and upsetting to see him act like that. And mostly, it just worried me – what did he have against the Cullens? I mean – I knew they weren't like anyone else I'd ever met, but did that justify calling them 'dangerous people'? Hello? Alice Cullen? Dangerous? I did not see that happen. On the contrary, she'd saved me from being mugged or possibly raped.

I could hear Jacob take a seat at the kitchen table again and an uncomfortable silence full of tension filled the room. I swallowed loud and decided that I needed to pry a bit. I just, I had to know. "Why are you scared of the-" I paused, "-Cullens?"

He took in a deep breath and shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "We don't like them in the reservation." he stiffly said. "They're not like everybody else, Bella."

_Thanks Sherlock, I already know that! I knew that from I first saw them. I'm not sure what they are, but they're something. _

He continued, not having heard my train of thoughts – obviously, I mean, mind reading? Psh, no one could read minds! "Just don't befriend the Cullens, Bella. It shouldn't really be a problem, they rarely interact with anyone but themselves, but seriously. Stay away from the Cullens."

"Why?" I couldn't help but ask. I wanted him to tell me. He had to have a reason for thinking those things of them!

Jacob groaned. "Just do it! I don't like the Cullens, that should be reason enough for you, Bella. They've got a bad reputation in the reservation."

I turned around then, having finished everything I needed, only waiting for the last two fish to fry completely. I stared at him in despite. I don't know why I felt so protective of the Cullens – maybe it was the fascination, maybe it was something else, I don't know, I just know that I didn't like Jacob talking this way about them. "Why do they have a bad reputation in the reservation? They don't live nearby, do they?"

Forks was a pretty small town, but houses were spread around the woods on all sides of it; the Cullens could possibly be living there, what did I know?

Jacob shook his head, "No, they live in the other end of town, but Bella, there's stories, okay? Myths that we Quileutes believe in, that we take very seriously, from way back in the days. Just, trust me on this, okay?"

He'd started to raise his voice with each word he said, and by the end, I knew he meant it with everything he had; that he was worried, that he wanted me to take care of myself. But I didn't understand – how could the Cullens be part of some old Quileute legends? They had been told for centuries, and unless Doctor Cullen or his wife had very old roots in this town, that just wasn't possible. I badly wanted to comment on this to Jacob, but I could tell that now was not the time.

Instead I decided to set the table and called for Charlie and Billy, hoping that the conversation during dinner would be much more light.

**x**

As soon as Billy and Jacob had said their goodbyes and were driving the rather long way through the woods to La Push, I decided to question Charlie about the Cullens. I was doing the dishes and cleaning up after a thankfully cheery dinner, and I knew he'd probably want to go watch TV, but I hoped to get some answers out of him first.

He probably didn't know the Cullens personally. But. He was the chief of police here in Forks, and if any of the Cullens had gotten into trouble, he'd know. If they were dangerous, like Jacob had said, it could only mean that they'd done something wrong, and my father would know so if that was the case.

So as I was slowly washing off a plate I spoke up before my father left the kitchen for the day, "Char – Dad?" I bit myself in the tongue.

He smiled at me. "Thanks for a lovely dinner, Bells. It tasted wonderful, I might get used to it."

Hopefully he would. I could handle the cooking around here. "Dad, do you know.. the Cullens?"

My father gave me a questionable look and leaned himself against the counter next to me. He reached for a tea towel and started to dry off the plate I handed him. "The Cullens? They're good people. Why do you ask?"

I pondered about how to put this for a few seconds. "No reason, I just... some people were saying some things about them earlier, and..." I trailed off, deliberately not putting Jacob in the middle of this; I didn't want Charlie to call Billy and make a big fuss of everything.

"Well that's just great!" Charlie said, his happy mood from earlier changing completely. "You know, I don't get it. Why do people have so much against the Cullens? They're a wonderful family. I've never had problems with any of the children, not even the big one, and the work that Doctor Cullen does for us! People should be more thankful!"

So that was like the longest Charlie had ever spoken since I got here, and it took me quite by surprise, though I didn't mind; he'd just answered everything I was wondering of – he'd had no problems with any of the Cullens, which just confused me even more? How did Jacob describe them as 'dangerous people' then? If they'd done nothing wrong?

I glanced at my father with a sideways look. "You know Doctor Cullen well?"

My father shrugged. "Not particularly. But I do see him often when I'm at the hospital regarding an accident. He's brilliant."

I nodded. "I met his children. They're pretty cool too."

"He lent me his fishing rod. Much newer than mine." Charlie continued to grunt.

I chuckled lowly. "People at school just said some things," I shrugged my shoulders, glancing into the dirty water in the sink, "I dunno, I talked to a few of them. Seems great to me."

Charlie smiled at me. "I'm proud of you, Bella. Don't listen to what anyone says. They're just scared because it's a pretty good-looking family, and some people can't handle that."

To me, it was pretty clear that they were more than good-looking (the five members I'd seen at least), but I didn't want to comment on that. Instead, I knew my father was itching to go and watch TV and relax in the couch, so I offered to finish cleaning off alone. He thanked me again for dinner and shuffled into the living room.

I quickly finished off the last of the dishes, and when the kitchen was clean, I grabbed Angela's yearbook and hurried up the stairs, eager to get started on the homework I'd already gotten; I wasn't really behind in any subjects, and my grades could handle a transfer, so I wasn't worried about starting in the middle of the semester; I was pretty sure I could manage.

But. I did have to do my homework, so I decided to do that first, and only after that would I let myself be consumed into the mystery that was Alice Cullen.

* * *

_Phew! Thanks for tuning back in for more. I've just felt really inspired these past few days and I've had no problem writing at all. Hopefully that will continue. Maybe it's because I recently decided to reread the entire book collection. I'm almost done with New Moon at the moment, and I'm really looking forward to Eclipse and Breaking Dawn because I actually haven't read them in Danish yet – I download them as e-books in English when they first came out, simply because I couldn't wait for the Danish version to come. _

_Anyways. I'm really grateful for the support you guys showed me for the second chapter as well! Totally inspired me even more to write next chapter that much quicker. I hope you enjoyed it, btw. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it! Hopefully, I'll be back soon. _

_**Disclaimer; **I do not own Twilight. _


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four **

I was walking in the misty forest with Jacob Black. The sun had just started to raise and I could see the light reflecting in all the fresh raindrops that hung from the leaves in beautiful shapes. It had been raining all night, but today was going to be a beautiful day. It was already warmer than most days in Forks. Even though my feet slipped in the muddy grass and we had to jump across puddles now and then, walking there with Jacob was comforting and familiar.

He smiled at me; that old familiar smile, so similar to the one I was used to. But he wasn't the Jacob I knew from when we were younger. He was more like the Jacob I'd just gotten to know, a different one. Somehow the smile didn't fit the muscular, buff Jacob with the short hair and noticeable cheekbones. It wasn't the smile I'd seen on him yesterday; he was different, completely different.

He pulled me tight and his skin was burning up. "The Cullens are bad people. Don't hang out with them, Bella. The Cullens are bad."

"Jacob!" I tried to pull away from him. "You have a fever. You're – you're burning. You must have a fever."

He didn't want to let go of me. "Stay away from them, Bella, do you hear me? Stay away from them!"

I whimpered in his tight grip. "Jacob, you're hurting me!"

His eyes were madness when they locked with mine. "Do you understand me, Bella!"

I was scared. I thought he was going to hurt me. He was shaking, he was burning, his fingers were marking my skin for permanent. And there was nothing in his face that reminded me of the friend I used to play with all day long. I was scared of him – Jacob. I was actually scared of Jacob!

A second later I was at the ground beneath him. Looking around, I tried to locate what had come to my rescue. And right there, leaning against the trunk of an old tree, stood Alice Cullen in the shade; her face was curled back into a sneer and she was ready to pounce.

The happiness I felt was indescribable. "Alice!"

And Jacob stared at me with complete disbelief in his face. "I told you not to hang out with a Cullen!" he sneered, and before I knew it, he had jumped right past me and was running towards Alice in a speed of his own. She wasn't going to make this; she might be able to threaten bad guys with words, but she could not fight Jacob if it got that far.

Screaming at the top of my lungs, I told her to run for it.

And then was when I woke up in my bed. For a second there, I was completely disorientated. I had no idea where I was, and the darkness of my new bedroom masqueraded as the darkness in the middle of a forest at night. I pushed a piece of my completely drenched hair behind my ear and heaved in and out as my eyes got used to their surroundings. My. Bedroom.

Charlie practically kicked the door open. "Bells? Bells, are you alright?" he sounded really worried.

I looked up at him, shivering from the sweaty soaked-through clothes I was wearing. "I'm OK, Dad." I mumbled. "Bad dream."

He hesitantly closed the door and retired to his own room to sleep, and I turned over to stare out of my bedroom window; it was a rainy night and the tree outside my window reached towards me with its leafy fingers, as if it was trying to kidnap me. Closing my eyes tightly, I tried to breathe calmly.

That was the first night I dreamt of Alice Cullen. But I had a feeling, it wouldn't be the last one.

**x **

Second day of school. Great. Or it would have been if somehow over night, people had stopped finding me so interesting. But I guess that's what happens when you're the new shiny toy in a small town full of entertainment from the Middle Age. I just hated it so damn much. I mean. Come on! Give a girl some space, will ya'? I was never good with crowds or people, and since I'd arrived at Forks, I'd just been getting too much of both.

But on the bright side, I was going to see Alice Cullen today. If not in class, then at least I'd be able to sneak a peek at lunch where she sat with her unbelievably beautiful siblings. I probably shouldn't be thinking so much of Alice Cullen, but how couldn't I? Not only had she completely saved my ass last Friday, which I'd never be able to thank her enough for, but she'd also stolen my heart. Sort of. The thought I'd had when I first saw her on that small makeshift stage had been pretty clear: Sheer and permanent want. It was not like I was some love crazed person starving for my next fix; I'd never really given love much of a thought to be honest, but Alice Cullen. She was in my heart for permanent.

How do one even know they're in love? Is it devotion? Fascination? I couldn't seem to tell. I wasn't really sure if I could be devoted to someone I'd only just met. But I knew I could be fascinated with her. Maybe that's what really caught me then; that she was different, not like anyone I'd ever seen. That I was sure that she was _something _more – I just wasn't sure what exactly.

Yes, Alice Cullen was certainly different. And she had certainly claimed my heart in some way. But what was I going to do about it? Whatever Bellas always do. _Nothing_.

I took a seat at the back of the classroom that morning. This was the class I'd been looking forward to the most: Creative Writing. I wasn't really much of a writer, but the selection of classes here in Forks wasn't as big as it had been back in Phoenix. I'd had to settle with something remotely close to English Literature. None of my new friends had this class; they were all more scientific in every way. But. I was expecting Alice Cullen to show up. Angela's yearbook did tell me that she took Creative Writing.

"Hi Bella."

I looked up in surprise. There she was. Right in front of me with a big smile on that gorgeous face. And I hadn't even heard her come in. I glanced briefly at her outfit; how could I not have heard her waltz in with those high heels? "Alice." I couldn't hide my happiness even if I wanted to.

She placed her book bag on the table next to me. "I usually sit in the back of the classroom."

I tried not to blush, but it was hard when she kept smiling at me like that. "Sorry if I, if I took your seat." I mumbled.

She laughed. That light chimy laugh I just hadn't been able to push out of my head. It was like magic, it was brilliant and it made me want to laugh too. "Bella, now you're being silly. We don't have seating. People just sit wherever they want to!" she giggled even more and sat down on the chair next to mine.

I turned my head to look at her; sitting like this, she was inches lower than me. I was pretty happy I'd never been a particularly tall person. "You take Creative Writing then?" I whispered.

She shrugged her shoulders. "What can I say, Bella? I'm more creative than any of my siblings. They're all more into science. Though Emmett is more into skipping school than anything."

I laughed nervously. "You any good?"

She paused and gave me a small smile. It was so mesmerising, the way she sort of just looked at me, a certain glint in her eye and a sideways grin. I could really get used to that. "I don't know. When you see some of my stuff, you'll tell me. But I'm pretty sure you'll like it."

I offered her another smile, not sure what I should think of that. Was she being cocky and confident, or did she just _know_ that she had talent? For some reason I doubted I wouldn't like it. I bit my lip and turned my head to the front of the class since the teacher had just arrived. But wasn't that just an open invitation? It definitely sounded like she had no problem spending more time with me? What was that the others had said about the Cullens mostly sticking to themselves? I thought that was weird. Alice Cullen was definitely trying to get to know me better.

She hummed lowly next to me as the teacher took attendance, probably not bothering to listen at all. She was the first student on the list, and after that, she seemed completely contend in her own world. I could see why Jessica would claim Alice as 'weird' and 'different' – there was something especially quirky about her, but I didn't find it weird at all. It was downright charming to me.

Since it was the middle of the school year, the class was already in the middle of something, so Ms. Righte told me I should try to keep up on the subject, and by the end of it, I'd know enough to try my hand at writing myself, even if I hadn't been there for the introduction.

"We're at poetry right now." Alice huskily whispered next to me. "We're reading it, analysing it, splitting it into pieces. And by the end, we'll all write a piece."

I glanced at her. "Really?"

"It's Creative Writing."

She turned her head to focus on the class at hand, and I just watched her for a few seconds, couldn't help myself. What was it about her that had me completely mesmerised? I'd never considered myself as one of those classic teenage girls who just fell for people so easily, but this I couldn't help, I simply couldn't. With each moment I stared at her, I just liked her even more.

I swallowed loudly and tried to focus on the class again; I had my work cut out for me if we were going to write. I wasn't a writer myself, I was a reader and a listener; someone who understood and interpreted literature in many ways. It was important to me, and I loved it. But I wasn't certain whether or not I'd actually like writing it myself.

"So." Alice said next to me. "You moved here from Phoenix, huh?"

It was a pretty solid statement and a good conversational opener. I should do something with that. "Yes. It's pretty hard to get away from all the sun, but I guess I'll learn to love the rain."

She flashed her perfectly white teeth at me. "You will. After a while, I'm sure."

Again, I had a feeling that she just knew these things. And therefore I just completely believed her. "Guess so."

She glanced towards the front of the classroom and paused, completely still in a movement; it looked almost unnatural, I swore, I'd never seen a person sit so still before. "Oh. Group work. Will you be my partner?"

I felt my eyebrows move together in confusion as I turned to stare at the blackboard, just as Ms. Righte was sending papers down the roads of people, claiming that we had 'group work'. "How did you kn-?"

She cut me off, "I saw her list when I entered the classroom. I was just waiting for her cue to convince you to partner up with me." she finished with that smile, and I knew it was going to be no problem for her to 'convince' me.

"The project is pretty clear." Ms. Righte started as I received the last paper in the pile from the student in front of me. "You'll partner up two and two, and I'll assign each group a poem. This poem will be the inspiration for your project." she took a seat at her desk and crossed her legs. "Writing is not only writing and rewriting. It's also about creativity. And I find that it is easiest to explore said creativity by trying other forms of it.

"Writing inspire people to a lot of things; lyrics are the reason we have music and songs. Scripts are the reason we have plays and movies. So what I want you to do is take your poem and interpret it into something else – a play, a short film, a composition, maybe even a painting! This is your time to be creative in something that's not... writing." she finished off with a huge smile, before she jumped off the desk. On a second thought, she quickly added, "Oh. And this will count as half your grade this semester."

Alice turned to me with the brightest of smiles. "So what do you think? Want to be my partner?"

It wasn't hard for me to say yes. I'd love to. I was pretty sure she would be much better at this creative stuff than I would. It might come in handy, and the extra time spent with her... well, that was just a plus. "If you can stand to work with me through this project, I'd love to."

She winked. "We have a while to finish it, she's going to extend the due day until next month or something."

Once more, I just had a feeling she actually _knew _this. But this time I didn't get to ask; I barely managed to open my mouth before she told me,

"She always does this. She's so easy."

I glanced towards Ms. Righte who was making her way down the classroom, assigning poems to pairs. I raised an eyebrow. "So." I didn't really know what to say. I didn't want to pry, not really.

She giggled again. "It's OK, you can ask me questions."

I couldn't help the extremely embarrassing blush that rose up my cheeks. And there she was, just right next to me, laughing, and in no way embarrassed. I wondered, did she ever blush? I found that hard to believe with her perfectly pale skin. Nothing would be able to disturb the snow white wonder of her cheeks.

"Me and my family moved here from Alaska a couple of years ago." Alice told me as a matter of fact; her voice was extremely low, and I knew with certainty, that no one other than me was able to hear her chime. "I was the last Cullen to be adopted by my parents, shortly after Edward and Emmett. Jasper and Rosalie joined us later, when their parents died. I have no recollection of my former life whatsoever, I was pretty young when I was adopted. I love Carlisle and Esme more than anything, so do my siblings. Oh. And I love my siblings too."

Ms. Righte placed a paper on my desk. "I assume you'll take care of the new girl, Ms. Cullen?" she asked Alice with a certain glint in her eye, "You're the last two students without a partner. I'm assigning you E. E. Cummings. I hope that's fine with the both of you?" this time, she looked at me. But only briefly.

Alice smiled at the teacher for only a second; one completely dazzling second that made every model hate herself for ever posing on the front cover of a magazine with a smile nowhere near in comparison to this. "Don't worry, Ms. Righte. We already wanted to partner up." she said, her voice sweetened with unnecessary charm.

"Good to know." Ms. Righte finished, before she turned around and went back to her desk.

I turned to Alice with disbelief in my eyes. "How did you do that? You could totally charm your way out of anything! And _she_ was a woman!" The disbelief must have been evident in my voice as well, because Alice started chuckling again.

"Don't be so shocked, Bella, I just know how to charm the right people." she paused. "Plus, Ms. Righte just really loves me. She's convinced my talent is because of her. I'm not so sure of that."

I shook my head to myself and just stared at her for a few seconds; how was it possible that such an amazing creature could be sitting right next to me, actually giving me the time of day? How was it even possible that a person like Alice Cullen could even exist? She seemed so special, almost... out of this world. She was something else.

She reached for the paper with our poem and gave it a once-over, "_I carry you heart_," she commented with a small smile, "this should be easy enough."

I wasn't really sure what the 'easy' part was, but I didn't want to worry her immediately.

She glanced at me then. "Aren't you going to tell me why you moved here?"

Why this person was so interested in me, I had no idea. I rather wanted to hear everything about her life; about her adoptive siblings, because that was truly fascinating. Me? I was just a massively uncoordinated girl who moved from Phoenix because it was the right thing to do. "You want to know?"

She blinked. Truly confused. "You don't want to tell me?"

My insecurities must have seemed apprehensive. "My mother got remarried. To Phil. He's great."

She cocked both her eyebrows and it looked extremely cute on her beneath that messy hair of hers. "Then why did you move?"

"He's a professional baseball player. So Mom wanted to join him on the road. I didn't want to hold her back." I quickly rambled off; the classic story I'd been telling everyone, even Charlie when I called to ask him if I could move in with him. I told everyone just enough so I didn't have to get personal.

But Alice did seem to want to get personal. No that I understood why my life was so interesting to her. "What's your mother like? Is she a quiet beauty like you? And a complete klutz? Or did you inherit that from someone else?" she giggled.

Turning my head down lower, I squeezed my eyes together. "My mother's not like me at all. She's wild and crazy. That's why Phil's good for her. Keeps her grounded."

"So you take after your father, I bet." she stated.

"Guess so."

She smiled warmly at me and waved the poem in front of my nose. "We should get together on this soon." she smiled, and a second before the bell rung, she'd packed her things together and stood up.

I grabbed my things too, truly bummed when I realized that I wouldn't be sitting next to Alice in my next class, which was Biology in the other end of the school. But then I paused in my steps when I realized what that meant: Another Cullen.

Edward did in no way affect me like Alice did, but there was still something about him, something nice and suiting that I just loved. Biology wouldn't be totally horrible like, let's say, Spanish was yesterday. I mean, Jessica was just such a chatterbox it completely ruined my concentration. With Alice, who was a talker too, it just seemed as if she knew when exactly to speak and when to be quiet. And Edward, well, he wouldn't bother me at all if I didn't want him to. He hadn't spoken much to me yesterday and I just had a feeling he'd be the same today.

He was already at his seat when I sat down next to him, dropping my book bag to the floor.

"Hello." he formally said.

I smiled shortly at him. "Hi."

He swallowed loudly. "How are you today?"

I bent down to pick up my Biology text book, before turning to him again. His was at the table too. Had it been there before? I grimaced, "I'm good. I just had Creative Writing with your sister."

He seemed to find that pretty amusing. "She can be a handful sometimes. It's hard to imagine that someone so tiny can be so annoying."

I know I hadn't known Alice for very long, but I had a feeling that if she wanted to, she could be _very _annoying. Especially to her siblings. She was the sister from hell. "Somehow I'm not surprised." I replied. It was so easy talking to Edward; he didn't say much, I didn't say much. I think we pretty much understood each other. Maybe he'd actually turn out to be a very good friend. "I like her though. Alice."

Edward's smile grew slightly bigger. "She likes you too. A lot."

Why did I feel so warm and fussy on the inside just now? I wasn't really supposed to be happy that some girl I'd only known for five days liked me, but I was. Hell, I felt like smiling like some idiot. But, afraid of looking stupid, I kept that to myself. "That's nice. I could really use a friend around here."

He eyed me with those golden eyes of his. "Well," he whispered, slowly opening his book to the page we were at, "if friendship doesn't really work out with Alice, you'll always have me."

I glanced at him, completely puzzled. Of all the people he could make friends with in this school, he chose me, the most uninteresting person on the planet. And. He was the second Cullen to show interest in me. Why was that? Was my fascination with them so completely obvious? I hoped not! That would just make me seem like a crazy person. Well – maybe I was a little bit. But they didn't need to know that.

He must have mistaken my puzzled face for something else, because he leaned back slightly. "Did I offend you?" he whispered.

I stared at him, didn't know what to say.

"I'm sorry if I offended you," he continued, his voice just above a whisper; it was strained to its fullest. "I don't know what you're thinking, you're very difficult for me to read."

I snapped out of it. "I'm sorry." I bid him off, breathing heavily out. "I'm sorry, I'm not offended. I just – I just wondered why you'd want to make friends with me if your sister didn't."

He had a small smile on his face then. "It's not always easy to say what Alice wants."

I blinked. "Am I difficult for you to read? I'm sorry, I know I'm no open book."

"It's OK." he quickly reassured me. "I usually know things about people, easily. But you I can't read. You interest me."

Biting myself in the lip, I almost choked in a laugh. "I interest you?"

He laughed as well. "Very."

I pulled my hair away from my face and opened my book as well. Grinning at him, I shook my head to myself. "You're weird, you know that right?"

He didn't even flinch, and I just had a feeling that this thing with Edward Cullen... it could be a very close friendship.

**x**

I felt comforted as I got into my truck that afternoon; this day hadn't been as horrible as the first. I mean. Sure, people still thought I was the most exciting thing on the planet, but I actually had a feeling that that would all die down in a few weeks. Hopefully. If I just had my new friends to talk to during lunch, and other than that, Alice in Creative Writing and Edward in Biology, I was pretty certain I wasn't going to hate Forks as much as I'd feared.

I drummed my fingers against the steering wheel as I pondered what to make for dinner. I had to go shopping on the way home and I had no ideas whatsoever. Turning into the line of cars waiting to get out of the parking lot, I felt my eyes search for the silver Volvo I knew would hold something special. I chuckled when my eyes settled on them; Edward was sitting behind the wheel, Alice was in the passenger's seat and with Rosalie Hale in the back-seat. Next to them, in the Jeep were the last two Cullen kids.

I didn't mean to stare, but apparently I had been completely focused on the extreme beauty that radiated off of those five people, because suddenly someone honked behind me. I almost jumped out of my seat and quickly hit the speeder. As I drove out of the parking lot, my eyes landed on the Cullens again, and I swear I caught Alice laughing to herself.

"Great." I mumbled to myself as I set off down the road. It was raining a bit, but not too heavily for Forks and my eyes drifted from the road towards the small rear-view mirror. Without helping it, I immediately thought of Jacob Black. I hadn't really thought much about the dream I'd had last night, I'd thought it was just my mind playing games with me after all the new things I'd experienced that day. I had a very vivid imagination when I slept; I could almost always remember my dreams and they usually referred to things happening in my life. Last night's dream had been no different. I'd dreamt of Jacob telling me to stay clear of the Cullens (which I still didn't get!) because he'd been firmly telling me so yesterday. And Alice's presence could only be a result of my thoughts of her and how she was a straight dotted line right to what Jacob had frantically tried to get across: She was a Cullen.

I squeezed my eyes together briefly and drove into another parking lot. It made me so confused, trying to figure out what was up and what was down in my dreams, but this was even trickier. Because I knew Jacob had meant what he said last night – but why? Why did I need to stay clear of the Cullens? They all seemed so sweet. Well, at least the two I'd actually had a conversation with.

I strolled through the small market, quickly deciding not to dwell on that. If people in the reservation didn't like the Cullens, well, that was their problem, and I wouldn't judge anyone, or stay clear of them, until they proofed me differently. If they ever did, not that I thought they would. Instead, I thought about what to email my mother after dinner tonight. I hadn't talked to her since I arrived here, and I know I should've answered her gazillion emails, but I just hadn't known what to say. But now I just thought I'd reassure her and say I'd met a few nice people.

Their selection of food was rather big and it gave me many options, but I decided to settle for something I remember my father quite used to like. And hadn't had for many years because there was no way he could cook it himself. Lasagne. I picked up the ingredients and carried the groceries to my car, before I drove off home. I'd start cooking immediately, since it was already past four.

But when I got home, I paused before I turned my car off. In our driveway was a car I hadn't seen around here before; it wasn't Billy and Jacob's car, it was far too fancy. I knew immediately what car it was: I wasn't really into cars, but I knew the different labels, just as I'd recognized the Cullen cars at school. This was a Mercedes. A black one, but I couldn't define it closer than that.

I was curious as to who this mystery guest was, and I grabbed the groceries from the passenger's seat and smacked the door close. Carrying everything inside, I wasn't sure what to expect, but my curiosity was satisfied when I entered the kitchen. By the kitchen table was my father and across from him sat a very handsome man; younger than my father and with striking features.

"Bella!" my father lit up, and I placed the groceries on the kitchen counter. "Here's someone I'd like you to meet."

I smiled awkwardly at the other man with my heart beating wildly in my chest. "Hi, I'm Bella." I said and offered him my hand.

He extended his hand to mine. "I'm Doctor Carlisle Cullen."

I shook his hand and studied his face for a brief second; I'd known who he was from the minute I stepped inside. I know he was not related to Alice or Edward in anyway, but like with the rest of the children, he just had the same indescribable look. The white skin. The golden eyes. And he was beautiful, and way too young to have kids my age.

"Doctor Cullen just came to pick up his fishing rod." my father told me as I started to unpack the groceries from the bag.

"I hope you had great use of it." Doctor Cullen answered my father with a small smile. "I'm sorry I'm taking it away from you, but my sons and I are planning a fishing trip very soon."

I scrunched up my nose. Edward didn't seem like the fishing trip-type.

Charlie chuckled lowly. "I'm just happy that you lent me your fishing gear, Doctor Cullen."

Now the two men turned to me. "So Bella, how do you like Forks so far?" Doctor Cullen asked me, his face truly sincere and inviting. I had no idea why he'd be interested in me, but I really didn't need to know to answer him.

"It's nice." I replied, closing the fridge after having put a new milk carton away. "I've got some great classes. Met a few people." I didn't want to tell him I'd talked to Alice and Edward in case they hadn't shared that with him. That would just seem stupid.

Carlisle chuckled. "Well, Alice seems to think the two of you will be great friends."

I froze. Had Alice already told her family about me? We had barely met, and she was already talking about me as if we were going to be best friends. It was odd, but for some reason – I didn't find it impossible. Not at all.

Charlie couldn't hide his big smile. "Your Alice?"

Doctor Cullen nodded.

I leaned myself against the kitchen counter and crossed my arms. "She's really nice. We're partnering up in Creative Writing."

Doctor Cullen gave me a once-over. "I'm glad to see you're really in one piece after Friday night. Alice was quite concerned about you when she got home." he chuckled and I felt my heart speed up again. Had she talked about _that_ as well? I hadn't even told Charlie! Shit, I _hadn't_ told Charlie! "She almost convinced me to drive to your house in the middle of the night so I could check on you."

I gave Charlie a look; his face was screwed up in thought and he grunted. "Friday night? What happened Friday night?"

"Nothing, Dad." I quickly bid him off, and my eyes locked with Doctor Cullen's for just a second. "Nothing happened, I just slipped and luckily Alice was there to catch me before I hit my head."

Charlie looked confused for a second and turned to Doctor Cullen for confirmation. Which was exactly what he got; Doctor Cullen, who had no reason to help me in any way, nodded his head and tried to look as if my story didn't sound all that wrong in his ears. "That's what Alice told me too. She's just really concerned sometimes."

I smiled at him, thankful. "I'm fine, though." I commented, my eyes once again settling on his; those warm, golden pools that Alice had as well. So comforting, so full of secrets.

He didn't even blink. "That's good, Bella. That's very good."

And before I managed to say or do something completely idiotic, I turned to start on dinner. Those Cullens. Damn. There was just something about them that made them entirely different. And I was pretty sure I would do just about anything to find out what.

* * *

_Thanks for the kind reviews I'm receiving from all of you! It really means a lot to me that you take the time to comment and tell me what you think of the chapters. I hope you enjoyed this one too, as you can see, it had more of Alice in it. _

_**Disclaimer; **I don't own Twilight. _


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five **

It was Wednesday night when I got a call from Alice.

I know. Strange, right? But apparently _she_ didn't think so. I mean. I didn't mind her calling me, actually, my heart seemed to particularly like the thought of her on the other end of the phone, but it was still strange to me. Sure, we'd talked in school and I knew Alice wanted to be my friend, but usually it took a while before new friends got to the calling-each other stage. Well. I wasn't going to complain, since I'd done nothing since school got out.

I'd gone home, cooked dinner for Charlie and done my homework. I was particularly bored after that; I'd thought about calling my mother, even calling Jacob, just to have someone to talk to. But luckily I hadn't dialled any of their numbers and was just listening to a CD in my room, when the phone rang downstairs.

I turned down the volume of the music, curious as to who it could be. No one ever really called, except Charlie's friends, but it was too late for them to call now, unless they had an emergency of some sort – maybe down at the Police Station? Imagine my surprise when my father's voice was heard from the bottom of the staircase, telling me that it was... for me.

My curiosity was peeked immensely, so I shuffled down the stairs and grabbed the phone in the kitchen out of my father's hand. He gave me a confused look and leaned himself against the wall next to me.

"Hello?" I breathlessly answered.

The reply was just like musical bells in my ears. "Bella?"

I knew who it was the second my name left her lips. My heart started beating faster and I gave my father a look, before I turned my back to him. "Alice?"

She laughed, "Were you expecting someone else?"

"No." I quickly replied, maybe a bit too fast, but hell, I couldn't help myself. She did strange things to me.

Alice was quiet for a few seconds. "Bella, I actually just called to say hello."

I bit my lip. "You called to say hello to me?" I questioned, trying to hold back a small chuckle; only Alice Cullen could do such thing. I heard Charlie chuckle lowly to himself behind me.

"Hello." she whispered.

I laughed again. "Hello to you too, Alice."

She hummed for a few seconds, and I wished desperately that I could see her face right then and there; but instead, I tried to imagine how she'd have her face screwed up in thought, her topaz eyes concerned with wonderments of what to say next. But she wasn't concerned for very long, always the talker, that Alice. "To be honest," she continued then, "there was one more thing I wanted to say to you."

"Shoot."

I was curious. I mean, who wouldn't be?

She giggled on the other end of the phone. "Actually, it's more of a question."

I clutched the phone tighter to my ear. She wanted to ask me a question? What did she want to know that could be so interesting, what couldn't wait another day? I had thousands of questions I wanted answered from her, yet I didn't find the need to pick up the phone, look the Cullens up in a phone book and call her at 10:30 in the evening. Only Alice Cullen could get away with that – simply because I'd answer everything she questioned me. "Shoot." I eagerly repeated.

I didn't know what I'd expected to come out of her mouth, but definitely not this, "Bella, you don't like hiking, do you?"

Uhm, what? Hiking? Me? I couldn't walk on a plain surface, sure I'd climb hills and trees. Awesome! "...no." This was confusing, truly confusing. Did she want to take me hiking or something? Or was it just a question she asked every possible friend in case she needed to know? I must have looked very confused, because Charlie cleared his throat behind me, and I turned to look at him. Both his eyebrows were raised.

Alice seemed particularly happy with that answer. "Good! I don't want you to go hiking. Oh. And don't enter the woods either. Just stay on the roads."

My confusion grew bigger. What the crap was she up to know? I swear, her train of thought must run much faster than other peoples'. I couldn't keep up with her half the time. "Why would I enter the woods?" I asked her.

She giggled. "I don't know, I don't attempt to understand what Bellas do, so just promise me, will ya'?"

It was an easy promise to make. I'd never once thought about really exploring the woods around Forks. There were too many ways to fall and hurt myself. Plus, with my luck, I'd get lost or be the only unfortunately hiker in fifty years who'd run into a thing much more worse than a deer. It would completely ruin the statistics around this place. "I promise."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Bella." she told me, before she hung up the phone, and I was left, listening to the annoying beeps afterwards. Truly confused, I placed the phone back into the charger and looked at my father.

He stood up straight. "Alice Cullen?" he questioned.

I nodded. "Yeah, Alice just... called to say hi to me."

He chuckled again. "I'm glad to see you're making friends with a Cullen. They're good people, Doctor Cullen is very talented."

I wasn't really in the mood for one of my father's pro-Cullen-speeches, because I was too absorbed in the conversation I'd just had with Alice. Why did she want me to stay clear of the woods? I'd had no intention of going into them, but when she put it like that... curiosity peeked. As usual. I didn't wanna break the promise I'd just made her though, so until I knew more – and I was going to know more; the first chance I got, I'd question her until she broke – I wasn't going to go near the woods in any shape or form.

I offered my father a smile. "Alice is great."

"She's the little one, right?" my father wondered, and suddenly I heard something different in his voice, "I mean, I'm happy you're making friends with the Cullens, people aren't very nice to them around here, just as long as it's not the big scary one," he paused, "or the pained one. Or the younger one, with curls!"

Shaking my head, I gave Charlie a look. He just mentioned all the male Cullens, except for the good doctor himself. Was he afraid I'd go run off with one of them and get married? Or that I'd start dating one of them and by teased by the other students? He had no reason to worry about any of that... At least not with the three Cullens he mentioned.

With Alice... I couldn't say never.

"Yes, she's the little one, Dad." I replied to him; the little one, yes. But also the most beautiful, the most sweet, the most fantastic one. Charlie didn't need to hear these adjectives.

He seemed contend with that answer and shuffled into the living room to finish his game.

I watched him leave, still pondering over the phone call with Alice and the conversation I'd shared with my father afterwards. None of the other Cullens mattered. They weren't the ones I wanted. She was! And she had been since I first saw her on that stage.

**x **

To my huge dismay, I had no classes with Alice the next day. I would have given anything for two hours of Creative Writing; the project we were working on in groups would have let me interrogate her so easily about the woods and her interesting family, but there was just no way that that seemed possible. I did have PE, which she should have participated in, but I wasn't even surprised when she didn't change in the changing rooms with the rest of us; I wasn't even remotely shocked that she wasn't even watching the rest of the class playing badminton. Apparently the Cullens just got away with this. Angela told me that no one had ever seen the Cullens participate in PE – _none _of the Cullens.

Was it because they were just too brilliant and needed the extra time to keep up their perfect GPAs? Psh, for some reason that didn't seem likely. They'd have perfect grades no matter if they had PE or not. The Principal probably worshipped the ground they walked on; he let them skip because they didn't want to have PE and he couldn't say no to them, because in a small town like Forks it was rare to see anyone as brilliant as one of the Cullens.

It bothered me though. Why were they all so damn perfect? Why did they get away with these things? I was pretty sure Alice could murder someone in front of the entire student body and when the Principal came to expel her, she'd flash him one of her smiles and he'd end up thinking that she did us all a favour killing whoever it was.

The rest of her siblings would be able to pull the same thing off, though I suspect that people – in general – were more scared of Emmett and Jasper than the rest of them. Emmett with his impressive size and muscles, and Jasper with his strange behaviour and pained expression. I just – I wanted to know why they could do this! I _knew _there was something about them, I was certain of that. But it was in no way possible for me to ask Alice about it. I couldn't very well just casually ask her in Creative Writing why her brothers were so scary, why they were all so perfect and oh, what they were, by the way?

She'd laugh at me and I'd be the freaky new girl. And when I came to think of it – did it really matter? Did it matter if I knew she wasn't like every other student around here? If I knew that her and her siblings were something more, something out of the ordinary? I liked her. I knew she liked me. I knew that a beautiful friendship could be formed between us, so why did it matter if she wasn't exactly like me? I'd never been a normal teenager anyway, I needed someone who would like that in a friend, and I was pretty sure that Alice Cullen's strange ways would be exactly that.

But that didn't mean that I didn't _want_ to know. Since she pulled out her teeth in a sneer last Friday, I'd known that she was special. It hadn't been a week yet, but I knew this about her: Everyone could see it. I mean, at the first, quick glance, they looked like everyone else, but still, everybody must notice this! Must notice the little things that makes them so... different. Apparently no one ever thought too much about it. Or maybe they just didn't look again, look closer. But I had, and I was certain: They were something more.

And I – Goddamnit! - wanted to know _what_.

The PE teacher let me change back into my clothes a bit before the rest of the class since I was a danger to everyone around me, so I happily rushed into the changing room (stubbing my toe against the door frame on the way) and changed. Maybe if I hurried to my truck, I could search for her when she entered the parking lot to ride home with her siblings and if I was lucky... she'd see me. And come to talk to me.

I waited in my truck and went through my wallet to find the grocery list I made up this morning before I left home. As my first week passed in this town, I quickly realized that Charlie hadn't been the best at taking care of himself; so many small things were missing around the house that I'd started to write it all down and today was the big shopping spree for me: I was going to have to find everything in the only market we had in this town. Hopefully it wouldn't be too hard to find it all, otherwise I'd have to plan a trip to Port Angeles soon.

I looked up from my wallet when the bell rang and stuck my key into the ignition. I was going to seem busy, but really, I'd be looking out for the tiniest student at Forks High. It didn't take long before students started piling into the parking lot and I immediately located Alice's siblings; Rosalie and Emmett were leaving the main building together, his arm around her shoulders, and right behind them, Jasper was trailing; they were all seniors, it was a possibility that they'd just shared the same class. Edward came through one of the other doors of the main building and I couldn't help but smile at him. Earlier, when we'd had Biology, he'd told me that he took European History, just for fun. Yikes. I found the American History too hard to follow and he decided to do the European one? I'm glad it wasn't me!

Scanning the crowd, I tried to find Alice's short black hair in the mess of students, but I couldn't find her; that was, of course, until my eyes settled on the last place I hadn't looked: The Art building. And she was coming out of that one, as one of the last students. Figures she'd take Art; she was so creative and full of life – she probably needed to express herself. And what had she said to me a couple of days ago? That her siblings weren't as creative as her. I bit down on my lip, not really sure what I should think of that one. To me, it seemed as if there wasn't anything each and everyone of them couldn't do.

I followed her as she tugged her Arts folder beneath her arm (it looked sort of funny, because it almost reached the ground; more than half as big as her) and walked across the lot to her siblings. They were already piling into Edward's car, all of them for once, with Edward behind the wheel and Rosalie in the front seat, her window open to share a quick word with her sister. As Alice turned away from her, she looked up and caught my eye. I shot her a small smile and she waved her hand at me in eager. Following her gaze to my truck, Rosalie immediately looked as if she had swallowed something sour.

Scared by her reaction, I turned the key in the ignition and hoped my truck would start without too many problems today. But no such luck. It hopefully made a few sounds, but eventually died out. I clutched the wheel tighter and calmed myself down. I didn't know what the hell Rosalie's problem was, but I hadn't done anything wrong, I was just politely smiling at my new friend. Rosalie was just stuck-up.

Someone tapped my window.

I turned my head to the side and almost jumped in surprise when I found Alice holding onto the slightly open window, her feet - apparently – resting on the small step that normally served as an easy way to get inside the car. But there was no way she was tall enough to look through my window without a little help.

"Don't mind Rose." she said to me, a huge smile on her face, "Someone's gotten her panties in a twist."

I dared to glance through the window again and saw that they were all eyeing me inside that car. Freaky much? Edward offered me a tiny smile. "I don't think she likes me very much."

Alice looked away from my eyes for a second, before locking them with mine again. "Don't worry about it. She'll like you someday."

"Why?" She seemed so certain. I wasn't really sure of anything right now, to me it seemed as if Rosalie wanted me dead or something.

"Because I like you." Alice lightly replied. She then reached a hand inside the truck and dumped a piece of paper into my lap. "That's my cell. Call me. _Anytime_. No one will pick up except for me, so don't be afraid of Rosalie's wrath."

I felt a small chuckle rise in my throat; this definitely lightened my low. And it warmed my heart. "Thanks Alice."

She flashed her perfect set of white teeth at me, and once again, I wondered how that delightful smile could have scared off three big guys just a week ago. It seemed impossible to me. "You do wanna be my friend, right?"

I blinked and just stared at her. "Huh?"

"Can't argue with that, I guess we're friends then." she finished, and before I even had time to analyse this part of our conversation, she had jumped to the ground and was hurrying across the parking lot as fast as her short legs could carry her.

And I was still gaping when the Volvo left the parking lot, holding inside a very confusing, but also very amazing, young woman. How come she had asked me if I wanted to be friends with her? How stupid did she think I was? Wasn't I making myself very clear? I thought it had been obvious to everyone that I practically craved her presence. But maybe I was really harder to read than I'd always thought. Edward had said so too. Maybe I should start making it more clear that I did want to be in her presence – as much as possible.

I snapped myself out of it and slowly tried to turn on the ignition again. Thankfully, this time, my car hiccuped slightly but eventually started with a roar. Backing out of my parking spot, I tried to forget Rosalie's cold stare as I hurried to the market. Alice did say that it didn't matter what Rosalie thought of me or not, but can you blame me for wanting her to like me just _a bit_? I cared for Alice a lot already and with the direction our relationship was taking – Rosalie would be a part of my life as well.

When I drove into the parking lot at the market, I was relieved when there weren't too many cars scattered around there; I did not have the patience to wait in mile long lines today; I wanted to get the shopping done so I could get home.

I picked a shopping basket from the pile when I entered the store and once more folded out my long list of groceries; vegetables, bread, meat, breakfast cereal, personal hygiene (Charlie really needed some better soap than the one in the bathroom!). I looked around and went straight for that first; might as well get the hardest part over with.

There was a pretty big selection of things considering how not so many people actually lived in Forks, so it took me a few moments to locate something that'd probably be good for Charlie. And to my luck, it was on the top shelf and how was I ever going to reach it? I groaned and put my basket to the floor, preparing myself to jump for it if that was necessary. I took in a deep breath and tried to calculate my next move; should I jump for it, or just opt for sanity and pick another product?

Someone laughed behind me; a clear, crystal like laugh.

I turned around, ready to maim whoever thought that my misery was _that_ funny, but paused when I came face to face with a young woman, who had the hugest smile on her face.

"You need help with that, dear?" she asked me, her kind eyes moving over my face in a way I had never experienced a stranger do before. It felt sort of good – I felt... loved.

I didn't really know how she'd reach the top shelf when I couldn't, because she wasn't very tall either, but I gave her a small smile, "Thank you."

She placed her shopping basket on the floor as well, and I reached for mine again, firmly telling my beating heart to slow down. I knew who this was. There was no possible way that this could be any other person than Doctor Cullen's wife; Alice's adoptive mother. She had it all, everything I'd quickly learned to identify the Cullens with – white, alabaster skin, golden eyes, and just an extraordinary beauty.

Huh. I was running into Alice's incredible mother by the personal products at the shopping market.

I moved to see how her task was going, getting the product down, but when I looked up, she was already standing before me, her shopping basket across one arm and the product of soap reached out to me with the other.

"Here you go, sweetie." she told me, her magical voice filled with so much love and admiration. I could tell – immediately – that she was a person who loved and simply just _loved_.

My fingers brushed hers slightly when I reached for the product. "Thank you." I whispered, not surprised to feel her cold skin rub against mine the way Alice's always did when we briefly made contact.

She smiled at me even more. "You're Bella, right?" she wished to know. Her caramel-coloured hair with the slightest hints of red stood out in the bright lights of the market in a way that no 'normal' hair should be able to. And she was just as young as Carlisle. She didn't look much older than her children, maybe ten years or so. It was incredible that someone so young had taken care of so many children for so many years. When they first adopted Emmett, she must have been no more than 18, maybe even younger. I thought that that was pretty remarkable. Her and Doctor Cullen must have been together since they were teenagers.

I nodded. I didn't know what to say to this. It was as if someone desperately wanted me to meet all the Cullens and be completely in awe of every each of them. I'd met Doctor Cullen in my own house and now I met Esme Cullen when shopping... there was something so odd about it.

She smiled at me and had the cutest dimples. "Alice has told me so much about you. I'm her mother. Esme."

I cleared my throat as soundless as possible and smiled warmly at her. "It's nice to meet you."

Her face warmed up even more as I finally answered her like a normal person. "You're doing all the shopping now, I see? My husband was a little worried about your father and whether or not he actually did get some real food." she laughed again.

I was a shy person. In front of people my own age, it was OK, but when talking to someone so much older – and so much prettier! - than me, I was just ridiculously stupid to have a conversation with. I had to get myself together. "I've been worried about that myself too." I tried to stifle a laugh.

Esme Cullen couldn't wipe that smile off of her face. "Well, I hope I'll see more of you someday, Bella, you're very welcome to visit Alice, but she already knows that."

"I'd like to." I whispered, and surprised myself a bit, when I realized that that was the truth. I did want to visit Alice; I wanted to see where she lived, how she lived, because I was pretty sure that it would be extraordinary. And I wanted to be a part of whatever it was that they had: That sacred thing that their family seemed to share. It drew me in completely, and I just desperately wished I could be in the middle of it.

"Anyway," Esme Cullen continued, her delightfully golden eyes sweeping across my face once more with a warmth of their own, "I better get going. I should have five hungry teenagers in my kitchen by now, demanding an afternoon snack. I swear, they never stop eating."

I couldn't help but laugh. The way she spoke of her five children, the way her golden eyes were filled to the brims with love, it made me believe that nothing in this world was more important to her than her children and her husband. Every ounce of her radiated love for the life she had with them, and it made my heart cringe in happy sadness, because love like that was rare these days. No one ever loved the way that she seemed to do, so final, so everlasting... but it was wonderful to experience it.

"Bye." I whispered to her with the smile that I couldn't just push away.

She nodded shortly at me, before she turned and went down the isle, swinging her full shopping basket from side to side as she went. I couldn't help but watch her, watch the way her hair bounced as she walked; watch the way she smiled at everyone she passed and told them 'hi' and 'hello' in her gentle soprano.

Esme Cullen was a... a wonderful mother. Alice and her siblings were so lucky to have her, to have a love like that.

Suddenly I couldn't ignore the fact that I actually missed my mother too.

Turning on my heel, I focused on the list again, getting ready to shop.

**x**

I'd had the longest conversation with my mother over the phone when I got time to myself last night; apparently, she believed that the email I'd sent her was nowhere near enough information on my part. We'd talked for more than an hour, and she'd asked about my new school, about Charlie, my room, if I'd made any friends... and I was actually happy to say to her, that for once, I actually had. And it hadn't taken me ages to meet someone I actually liked. She'd wanted to hear everything about Alice; what she looked like, how she dressed, what she liked; basically everything I knew about her.

But I hadn't talked about her family, just told my mother that she had a big one and that her siblings went to school with me as well. For some reason, I didn't think it was appropriate to go ahead and share all that information with her, just like I hadn't told her that Alice's skin was abnormally white and ice cold.

Renée had firmly told me that she was going to have to meet this person one day. For some reason, I actually liked that idea, because I had a feeling that Alice and her would get along just great. After all, my mother was just as silly as Alice had a tendency to be.

Anyway. I didn't really think she'd get to meet her, because we lived here, and my mother lived there, and visiting was out of the question with the prizes these days. Not that it mattered, I'd send my mother a picture of me and Alice if I ever got the chance to take one.

It was going to be my second weekend in Forks very soon, so I'd called up Jacob and asked if it was okay that I came to see him on Saturday. I needed someone to spend time with and I wasn't really sure if it was appropriate for me to ask Alice to hang out. Instead, I figured it'd be nice to see the reservation again along with Jacob's friends. It was going to be a good weekend, I believed. I was actually looking forward to it.

I drove into the school's parking lot with a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach; I knew I had classes with Alice today, and I couldn't wait. I wanted to spend as much time with her as possible before the weekend where I wouldn't see her for a while. I knew it sounded sort of crazy, me feeling the need to be so close to her, so quickly, and I couldn't explain why. The only reasonable explanation I could come up with was the fact that Alice wasn't like everyone else, therefore could our relationship not be like everyone else's.

Breathing out heavily, I looked around to see if I could locate their Volvo, but it was nowhere to be found. Maybe they hadn't arrived yet, I was a bit early, and they did like to cut it close. Instead of thinking too much about it, I got out of my truck and grabbed my things. As I turned to lock the door, I couldn't help but smile; turning into the parking lot, right now, was their car. But... from where I stood, it look as if it was only Edward and Alice inside it.

It tried to balance my books and my bag as the car came closer; there was a free parking spot next to mine, but Edward didn't take it, like I'd thought he would. He simply just moved to hold by the end of my truck. A little confused, I quickly moved to Alice's window, meeting her face to face.

She grinned at me, "We're not coming to school today."

I bit my lip. They'd driven all the way here to tell me that? "Really?"

"I got Edward to drive me here so I could tell you." she said to me, her eyes locking with mine, firmly. I paused. Something was different... "I just – I didn't know yesterday, but we're going hiking. It's supposed to be sunny tomorrow, and my parents really like hiking, so we're getting a head start."

Had her eyes changed? To me they looked completely black. Maybe it was the angle I was looking at her from? "A call would have sufficed, Alice." I couldn't help but laugh, telling myself to ignore the fact that her eyes weren't the lovely colour of gold I'd gotten used to.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I felt like seeing you."

I couldn't help it. That comment completely warmed every ounce of my being. How did she do it? How could she say just the right things to make my heart melt? "I felt like seeing you too." I replied. For a second there, I wanted to say to her that I ran into her mother yesterday, but maybe... maybe it was better if that little incident stayed between me and her. If Esme hadn't already told her daughter, of course.

Edward chuckled in his seat next to Alice and she glanced at him briefly. I had no way of knowing this, but to me it felt as if some silence exchange of words were said between them. Or maybe the close siblings just knew each other too well? I had no way of imagining the bonds they shared.

Alice glanced at me again. "Before I leave, do I need to remind you of the promise you made me the other day?"

"The part about the woods?" I questioned her, suddenly gripping my books tighter. I'd wanted to ask her about that, but right now was definitely not the time; I could tell that they were in a hurry to leave. The entire family was probably waiting for them at home so they could get going.

She nodded, concern and confusion written all over her face. "I don't know what you're planning to do this weekend, but stay clear of the woods, okay?"

I felt my face twitch. How _would_ she know what I was planning to do this weekend? I hadn't told anyone, the only one who knew I was going to La Push was Jacob, unless of course he'd told all the other Quileutes. "I was planning to hang out with an old friend of mine."

Her eyes scanned my entire face again, as if she was trying to tell whether or not she should trust me on that. Something didn't add up inside her head and I felt bad about that. She could ask me anything that confused her, she knew that, but yet she still didn't. It'd make it so much easier if she voiced her concerns. I wasn't going to poke her with questions until she did, I didn't want to interfere in case it was something personal.

Finally, she nodded her head. "Okay, cool." she whispered, "I'll... see you soon, Bella?"

"On Monday."

Again, she didn't confirm or deny that, she simply smiled at me again. "Have a nice weekend."

I took a step back from their car, just as Edward pushed the speeder down and raced out of the parking lot, quicker than the speed limit allowed.

Huh. That was probably the weirdest conversation I'd had in a while.

* * *

_And Alice continues to completely confuse and dazzle Bella! :) which we all know is inevitable with Alice, right? Anyway! Thank you so much for tuning back in for more, and thank you SO much for the support – I love reading your reviews, they really put a smile to my face. I be back, hopefully, very soon. I apologise for the rusty writing in this chapter, I couldn't edit it out for some reason. _

_Oh. And Esme is one of my favourite fictional characters of all time because she's just so compassionate and full of love. And I hate the fact that she is shamelessly under-used in not only fanfiction but also by Stephenie Meyer herself! I usually make sure to put Esme as much into my stories as possible. Oh. And I'm planning on writing something at some point just revolving around her. I think that she deserves that. _

_**Disclaimer; **I don't own Twilight. _


	6. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six **

I got up very early the next morning, eager to get to La Push as quickly as possible. I hadn't had plans last night and finished all my homework before the evening was over. That left me with a huge two-day gap with nothing to do before I could see Alice again in school. Well, except visiting Jacob, so I planned on making that visit as long as possible if he'd let me.

Charlie was already up when I got downstairs, but that didn't surprise me, he'd always been an early-riser. But what surprised me was the fact that he was dressed in his uniform, all ready to go to work. I paused in the doorway, watching him for a second as he practically inhaled his cereal as fast as possible.

I cleared my throat.

"'Morning Bells!" he managed to slurp at me through his full mouth. "I'm sorry if I woke you, but I have to go to work."

Entering the kitchen, I reached for an apple in the bowl on the table and took a seat on the counter, now facing him. "Work?" I questioned, "On a Saturday?" I almost couldn't believe it. Charlie rarely worked on a Saturday. Nothing happened around Forks that'd require him to work more than his regular hours.

He downed his coffee and stood up from his seat. "A jogger found two hikers in the woods last night. Looks like some animal attacked them. We don't know what yet, but some have mentioned big wolves wandering the forest."

I took in a deep breath. Big wolves? In the forest? That was definitely not something I was used to. Now there was even more reason for staying out of the woods than just my promise to Alice (though that would have been reason enough to me). "Did the wolves kill them?" I asked my father.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know." he stared out of the window for a few seconds, deep in thought. I bit my apple and watched him, knowing he'd continue when he was ready. "It's very strange, since their entire bodies are intact, the only thing missing... is their blood."

He stared at me again and I couldn't help but shiver.

"Not a drop of blood was left." he said to me, reaching for his police jacket, which had been draped across the spare kitchen chair. "Doctors seem to believe that it might have been something entirely else, perhaps a person, but the rest of the officers are very keen on the wolves."

I swallowed the chunk of apple in my mouth and glanced at my father. Wolves? People killing people because of blood? This was definitely not normal.

My father shot me a small smile. "What are you doing today, Bells?"

I jumped off the counter and threw my apple in the trash, suddenly not hungry anymore. "I'm going to visit Jacob down at La Push." I told him, knowing he'd be thrilled to hear that I was hanging out with Billy's son.

Charlie looked at me then, a hint of worry edged across his face. "You promise me to drive straight to the reservation, right? I don't want you anywhere near the forest with those wolves wandering around, Bella."

I could see that he really meant it; I could see that he was very worried. And to be honest, I had no intention of going anywhere off the roads as long as big wolves were attacking hikers... or... as long as _something_ was attacking hikers. I nodded. "I promise, Dad. I'll even get Jacob to drive me home, if you want to."

He smiled warmly at me, "That'd really make your old Dad feel more comfortable."

"I'll see you later, Dad." I told him, as he reached for his belt and his gun, getting ready to solve this problem. I watched him turn the corner with worry in my stomach and didn't breathe out before the front door closed behind him. He might be worried about me, but I was worried about him, too. He was the one out there, in the middle of it, I was just going to be with Jacob all day in the safe surroundings of the reservation.

As I started the search for my car keys (which I knew were somewhere in the house, just... not _exactly_ where) I thought about what Alice had made me promise. I found it a little peculiar that she'd call me at home to warn me off the woods just a few days before my dad informs me that hikers have been getting hurt out there. Had she known that something was going on, that people were getting murdered? Or was it simply a coincidence and the sole reason she called me was because she feared that my clumsiness would hurt me if I ever went out there? I just – I didn't exactly believe that. But if she did know – how come my father only knew now? How could she have known before the cops? Before the hikers were even found?

"Got ya'!" I smiled as I found my keys tucked between two cushions of my father's couch. How they got there, I didn't really know, and it didn't matter. I was well on my way to La Push now.

It wasn't that difficult to find my way to the reservation, because as I drove towards the beach, everything came flooding back to me, and the signing was pretty great too. It gave me time to think more of the entire deal with the woods, even if I'd rather not. It would have been wonderful to dwell on Alice and thoughts of her, because well, let's face it, I was becoming quite fond of her, quite fast, to put it mildly, but – the thought of something bad luring around Forks, it really wasn't easy to put aside.

And then was when it hit me. I almost put my foot to the brake to turn the car right around, as the fatal fact of reality struck me right there. Alice. In the woods. _Hiking_. Alice was hiking with her family the entire weekend! I didn't know where, I didn't know how, but I knew that it was likely it was just nearby. How could I just continue down the road to La Push, knowing my (best?) friend was out there. That was putting her at risk, her entire family. Or maybe... possibly...

I held in my breath. Charlie said the hikers were found this morning. Alice and her family had been hiking since last night. What if it was them? What if they'd split up and two of them had gone hiking alone? What if -? I couldn't bare to finish that sentence, but since it had already entered my head, I had no choice. What if Alice was dead?

_Calm down, Bella,_ I tried to reason with myself, _if the hikers found in the forest were anyone from this area, my father would have known. If it was anyone from my school, he would've told me. Especially if it was Alice, because he knows – he knows – how I've quickly become friends with her. _

Besides – I couldn't help but smile shortly at the memory – after Alice scared off those guys, I'd been pretty certain that nothing could touch her. I still felt that way.

Still, I really wanted to turn that car around so I could warn her somehow. But then I realised, what's the point? I don't know where she lives, and even if I did, she'd be gone already since she told me they were getting a head start. Clenching my fists tightly around the steering wheel, I had to reason with myself. If Alice had actually warned me about the forest because she knew about the dangers in there, then she probably wouldn't go ahead and hike right into it herself. And bring her entire family.

But how would she know? And if she did know, why hadn't she told anyone?

Alright. This was a vicious cycle and it was not helping me calm down. I just had to focus on something entirely else, and decided to see if I could get the old radio in my dashboard to start playing. I tried to focus my attention between the road and the radio, but quickly learned that there was no way I'd get any music out of it. This truck was probably way too old for Jacob to have been able to fix that. Sucked. But hey, I didn't really drive that far anyway.

As soon as I drove into the reservation, I knew in which direction to go. It was a beautiful day, to be honest, it wasn't as cold as it could be, and Alice had been right; the sun was shining down, giving the trees around the grounds a nice new look – a contrast to the otherwise constant rain. I couldn't help but feel better as soon as I saw all of this: I'd missed this place, the beautiful summer days when the rain wasn't pouring where Jacob and I would play in the leftover mud and climb trees. I'd fall down and he'd laugh at me. We'd be covered in stains and dirt and our long hair would be tangled with small branches, grass and leaves. Billy and Charlie would laugh at us from their seat on the porch with each a beer to their lips.

It was a wonderful memory and it cheered up my mood a lot more than I'd hoped for.

The small red tree house was easy to find. It held so many stories for me and the smile on my face just grew bigger when I turned my truck off with a roar. Peeking through the old curtains I saw Jacob. His face lit up into a huge smile, and I got out of the car just fast enough, to find myself caught in his tight embrace.

"Bella!" he lifted me off the ground in his bone-crushing hug.

I couldn't help but laugh. "Hi to you too, Jake."

He put an arm around me, "So Bella, what do you wanna do today?"

I glanced up at him, once again in awe of how tall he'd really gotten. "I don't know, what do you prefer to do?"

"Let's go for a walk." he smiled at me, and I agreed. It was a lovely day and walking around with Jacob would give us time to talk and I could take a look around; hopefully meet some of the other people I used to play with around here. It would be sort of fun to see how people had changed, after all, it had been very long since I was last in Forks.

Jacob told me a bit about the life he shared with his father. It was just the two of them, since his sisters had left some time ago. It was sort of nice to see him talk about everything, about his friends, about school (which he didn't really care much for, I could tell). It was nice to hear about everything, really it was, but there was particularly one thing I was more interested in than others: I wanted to know why he'd bashed the Cullens the last time I saw him, I wanted to know about these legends he'd talked about.

How could the Cullens be a part of such old Quileute legends? The Cullens just moved into town a couple of years ago, and even if they'd lived here before, it still seemed weird to me.

"I'm sorry," Jacob finished with the hugest boyish smile on his face, "I've been talking about me. Mostly. How have your first week at _Forks High School_ been?" he chuckled, and so did I. He'd said 'Forks High School' with such fake reverence it was just too funny.

"It's been... eventful." I settled on, in lack of better word. Not eventful in the sort of way where things had just happened again and again, actually, it'd been dull compared to what happened each week at my high school in Phoenix, but it had been eventful. Just on an entirely different level. I'd never really grown attached to a person the way I had with Alice Cullen so quickly. So it'd been very eventful on the emotional level. The best part of it was that it seemed as if she wanted to spend time with me too.

Jacob gestured towards a wooden bench near the dirt road and we crossed the grass to take a seat. "How so?" he questioned me then, truly interested, it seemed.

I didn't know exactly how much I could tell him – did I want to mention Alice when I knew how he felt about her and her family? It would have been better not to, but really, if it could help me get those legends out in the open, that would be better too, right? Getting the subject started would be easy if I told him about my new friendship. "Classes are the same everywhere. Boring as hell." I told him with a tiny laugh. "I've made a few friends, people are great."

He eyed me suspiciously. Could he tell that I was bouncing around the truth? That I actually did want to say more, but didn't because I wouldn't know how he'd react? I'd always been a terrible liar and this was very close to it. "Made friends with uhm, with the Cullens?"

The way he said that. I just – I didn't understand it. He spoke their name with such hatred, with such dislike. How could he hate someone he didn't know? How could he hate someone because of some old stories that were made up centuries ago? I just didn't get it. It didn't seem like the Jacob I knew. He didn't strike me as the type to pay judgement to anybody, to even believe those old legends. He used to laugh about these things. Apparently it wasn't only his appearance that had changed.

I took in a deep breath. "Actually," I started, "they're pretty great. The two of them I've talked to, that is."

He stared at me. His eyes changed in an instant from the loving ones I knew and into something I had never seen. It scared me, it really did. "Bella!" he grunted, his throat tightening with restraint. "Why would you do that? I told you to stay away from them! I told you several times!"

"You don't choose my friends!" I bid back at him. He might be my oldest friend in the whole wide world, but he had no say whatsoever in who I spent time with. If I wanted to spend time with the Cullens, I Goddamnit would!

Jacob looked away from me then, his head to the side. His fists were clenched tightly and I just gaped at him, completely stunned. I couldn't tell what was the matter with him; I was angry with him, more than I'd ever been before, and he just sat there, his body was shaking and he was groaning in anger. I couldn't recognize my friend and it frightened me, it really did.

"Jake!" I hissed at him. I wanted him to say something, I wanted to know what was going through his mind at this moment. And mostly, I wanted us to continue this talk, because I simply just _had _to know why he didn't like the Cullens. "Jake? Talk to me."

He turned his eyes to meet mine. "Why are you so interested in the Cullen family, Bella? Why can't you just listen when I tell you to do something?"

I swallowed loudly. "I don't answer to you, Jacob." I started by telling him; he couldn't just expect me to do something because he said it. If I were going to, he'd have to give me a good reason, give me something I could believe in. "And. You keep telling me that I can't be friends with them, but to be honest – Alice is the nicest person I've met at Forks High School. She's helped me a lot already. And if you keep telling me to ditch that friendship, you better give me a better reason than 'we don't like the Cullens'." I tried to imitate his low voice, but apparently I didn't do such a good job, because a small smile found its way onto his lips.

He clutched my hand in his own right then. "I want to tell you, Bella, but like I said, it's old legends, and I can't just share them with anybody. I don't like the Cullens and I wish that was enough for you."

I let his warm hand hold mine for a while, hoping he would not get the wrong idea about it. "But Jake..." I whispered, shaking my head at him. "They're very nice people."

"They're not who you think they are, Bella." he quickly said to me, his brown eyes digging deeply into mine.

"Then tell me who they are, Jacob." I firmly said to him, locking my eyes with his in a firm glare; I was going to get it out of him, I had to. There was no other option, if he knew something about Alice, he'd have to tell me and that was that.

He cleared his throat. "I _can't_."

I ripped my hand from his, now truly offended. And pissed. _Very_ pissed. If he was going to be like that, I didn't want to talk about this. I'd have to find out somehow though. Maybe it was possible to actually Google 'Quileute legends' and find something interesting like that? Or maybe I'd have to go to the library, maybe even a book store. But... it would be so much more difficult to look for it that way – especially since I had _no idea_ what I was looking _for_.

I might be lucky enough to find a good website, there were websites about anything these days, but... if I did find it, would I then start to read every and each thing on it? Just hopefully waiting for something to fall miraculously into my lap about the Cullens? Which wouldn't happen, because I doubt they'd be mentioned by that name. After all... they could have had another name back when the legend was made. How would I know, how would I ago about it? It seemed impossible to me.

"Believe me, Bella," Jacob then suddenly said to me, his voice low and deeply emotional. He pulled me out of my desperate thoughts and I turned my head to look at him again. "I do want to tell you, but I'm not allowed to. I want to, badly, for your own sake. I don't want anything to happen to you."

Again with the insinuations that the Cullens were somehow a danger to me. He'd flat out told me so the last time we were together. But how could they be dangerous? They were _nice_. I couldn't in my wildest dreams imagine them being a danger to anyone! OK, so maybe Emmett did seem a bit scary because of his size, but dangerous? Not really.

I shook my head at him once more. "Jake, seriously..." I mumbled, "I really don't want to say this again, but the Cullens aren't a danger to me. Alice wouldn't hurt a fly."

He looked like he wanted to rip something apart, like literally grip the nearest thing possible and tear it into pieces just to get his anger out. He was so far from the gentle friend I'd used to know, and it was strange, because for some reason, this oddly temperamental Jacob fitted the muscular look he'd gotten since I was last in town. His fingers were clenched together, his fists closed tightly as his body shook violently. Something told me that I should probably back off, but I didn't, couldn't, just leave him there. Not when he felt like this, not so hurt, not so angry.

"_Jacob_!"

I looked up by the sound of my friend's name, only to find an older, bigger guy staring at us from across the small road. His dark eyes were hunched together and behind him were two other guys, much like himself. I couldn't help but stare for a second – just a tiny second. They were all dressed in cut-off jeans and nothing else. Their short hair resembled Jacob's new haircut very well and so did their amazing physique. What did they feed their Quileute boys in this reservation? All of them seemed so... buff.

Jacob was still shaking next to me, and it did not seem to help that whoever it was had shouted at him. I heard the leader – because it was obvious that this guy had some control over the rest of them – bark out an order to the other guys, and two seconds later, I found myself caught by one of them, swept off my feet.

"Sorry Bella." the guy mumbled at me as he took off running down the road with me in his arms.

I stared up at him, truly confused for a few seconds. What had just happened? Had some stranger picked me up and just – started carrying me? I pounding my hand to his burning chest. "Put me down!" I whined, now truly confused as to what was going on, but finally able to get my frustrations out. Where was Jacob? Was he coming too? "Put me down, whoever the hell you are!" I tried once more, but it seemed like my constant hits did nothing to his chest. It probably felt like tiny peckers to him.

The guy chuckled at me. "Come on, Bella, don't tell me you don't remember who I am."

I stared up at him then, now quiet as I thought about who this was. Apparently I'd met him before, but who of Jacob's friends was it? He'd had two really close ones when we were young: Quil and Embry. I chuckled to myself when I realised who that mischievous grin could only belong to. "Quil! Down. _Now_!" I barked at him, poking him once more with my finger.

He chuckled at me, still running across the grass with me in his arms; it did not seem like it was tough for him at all to carry me like this; he must be just as strong as Jacob. "I can't put you down yet, Bella," he quickly explained to me, as if we were having a casual conversation about the weather, "I'm sorry. Sam told me to take you to Emily's, so that's where we're going."

Oh. So that big one must have been Sam. Whoever the fuck he was. "And you always do everything that this Sam guy tells you to do?" I continued to sulk in his arms, haven quickly assumed that getting him to put me down if he really didn't want to was not an option.

He did not reply to that, so I decided that I was right on money.

"What happened to Jake?" I asked him then, my thoughts dwelling on my friend and how he'd seemed so angry, so mad. I wished I could have stayed and talked some sense into him, but apparently this Sam person thought I better stay out of it. I never liked people like that, but I guess I'd have to give him the benefit of the doubt if he got Jacob to calm down, because seriously. He'd been pissed at me, and I hadn't done anything. Well... I'd done something, but he was not right to be so mad about _that_!

Quil seemed to think about it for a few seconds. "Sam took care of it, they'll be at Emily's soon. Jake just needs to learn how to control his temper."

I didn't want to agree to this, but silently I did. I mean – what the hell was the matter with him? He shouldn't blow up like that and demand I do what he says. And I was going to tell him so today before I went home again, that was for certain. But I'd do it later, because I didn't want to do it while all his friends were there as well. That'd just be too weird.

"We're here." Quil then announced and before I knew it, I was standing on my own two feet again, face towards the cutest little house I'd ever seen. "Come on!" he pushed me forward and I stumbled up the two small steps to the porch, before I entered a small kitchen. Around a small round table sat two guys and a girl. At first, I stood completely still, just gazing at the woman who, on one hand had the most beautiful face and gorgeous hair, but on the other hand... was awfully scarred, long lines dragging down the edges of a once-upon-a-time beautiful face.

I did not want to stare, so instead I glanced at the two guys at the table. I was certain that I did not recognize either of them.

"Hi Bella." one of them said, raising a hand for a funny wave. "I'm Jared, that's Paul and Emily." he explained, pointing towards the other two at the table.

I shyly smiled at them. "Hello."

Emily smiled warmly at me as well. "You're welcome to have a seat. I expect Sam, Jacob and Embry will join us shortly."

I tentatively took a seat by the table and glanced nervously around at them. There were so many things I wanted to ask them. Paul and Jared both had the same look as the others had, and they seemed to share something special, much like I always thought the Cullens did as well. I wanted badly to know what it was: Had the Quileutes made up a special group of some sort? Was there a reason for this? I just – I wished I knew why Jacob had changed so much within a couple of years.

The guy named Paul glared at me from across the table. "Jacob has talked about you." he murmured.

Quil burst out laughing, quickly followed by Jared. "'Talked' is probably an understatement!" he chuckled, barely managing to get the words across his lips. "He wouldn't shut up when his father told him you were moving out here, and after you hung out earlier this week, he's been moaning non-stop about you."

I felt absolutely awkward hearing those things; I just wanted to sink deeply into the floor and die. If the ground could swallow me up, that'd be awesome right now. Emily just smiled gently at me, and her kind eyes told me she wished they'd shut up too. I just – I didn't want Jacob to think that our relationship could be more than just friendship; I'd never implied it would, I'd never once thought it could be. He was the best friend I'd ever had, and nothing could change that. I just, I just hoped he knew that too.

"It's actually quite annoying!" Jared hollered, with a hoarse laugh. "_I hope Bella calls me today. Maybe Bella wants to hang out this weekend. Bella looks so pretty now, growing up definitely agrees with her. Bella, Bella, Bella._"

"Boys," Emily's firm voice cut him off, and with one look from her, Jared was quiet, "that's it."

I gave her a thankful smile and relaxed a bit more in my chair. I had no idea what was going on right now, but I hoped that everything would be explained to me at some point. I also found it very hard to believe that Jacob would share his thoughts on me with his friends just like that, but it seemed apparent that they knew just about everything about him. Which was weird. Jacob had always been a very private guy.

"I hear them coming." Emily smiled and raised her neck to look out of the kitchen window right behind my head. I heard them too, their laughter and their voices were hard to miss, and thankfully it sounded like Jacob had calmed down severely since our talk on the bench.

"Bella!" he exclaimed as he entered the small house; if it had seemed slightly awkward before with three big guys and two females inside this tiny house, it now seemed completely stuffy; these boys, they were _huge_. Jacob grabbed the chair next to mine and locked his eyes with mine. "Sorry about before, I got a little carried away." he whispered.

I smiled at him in return, before my eyes settled on the last two males. The big one – Sam – was sharing a deep kiss with Emily and Embry, whom I could now recognize slightly with the short hair after looking at him again, was ravaging Emily's refrigerator in the corner.

He ducked his head from behind the white door. "Anyone else want some?" he questioned, holding up a can of coke.

All of the guys barked out their preferable choice of soda, and Emily just smiled and glanced at all these young men with complete love in her eyes. I felt so out of place as I thankfully accepted a can of coke from Embry; it felt like I didn't belong here, like I shouldn't be a part of whatever it was that they had. And I didn't long to be a part of it; not in the way that I longed to be a part of whatever it was that the Cullen family shared; that I wanted to know more about, this... this, it absolutely freaked me out. Did they have some secret clan or something – perhaps a cult?

I was scared to find out.

Sipping my coke, I watched all of them interact. I knew I wouldn't have been here right now, hadn't it been for Jacob. If he hadn't been so angry with me, Sam would have never interfered, I could just feel it. They didn't want me here, not all of them. Most of them just wanted me to leave so they could be themselves without me, sitting here as the intruder.

"Bella."

I looked up when someone said my name, and was surprised to find that everyone had grown silent and that Sam was looking at me with serious eyes. I chocked in my drink.

"Bella, I'm Sam Uley." he told me quietly; everyone was listening to every word that came across his lips. "I hope that you are OK from earlier. Jacob is not good at controlling his temper." he said the last part with a pair of stern eyes in Jacob's direction.

I found the need to protect Jacob very big in the presence of this guy. "Nothing happened. We were just talking." I quickly stammered out, afraid to look anywhere but at the table.

Paul snorted.

"It's not OK, Bella," Jacob told me, and I felt his warm hand on my shoulder, "I can't get mad at you like that, you don't know better."

I shoved Jacob's hand away and glared at Sam. "Why do you care about me and Jacob anyway? Were you listening in on us? What does it matter?" I rambled off. There were so many things I wanted to know, so many things I wanted to say and ask. But I knew deep down that they weren't going to tell me what was really going on.

Sam folded his hands on the table in front of me and studied me with curious eyes. "All of us in this room," he finally said, gesturing around the table, "we're Jacob's closest friends. We have a lot in common."

I couldn't help but snicker. "Your haircuts, you mean? Oh, and the fact that you all seem to be fond of the almost-naked look."

Jared chuckled.

"Burn!" Quil added and the two of them laughed.

But one look from Sam stopped them completely. "A lot of us Quileute boys have been going through some changes lately."

Hell, that had been obvious from the start. Did he think I hadn't noticed? I raised an eyebrow. "These changes," I begun, placing my can of coke on the table, to let my hands rest in my lap, "I don't suspect you're going to tell me about them?"

"Can't." Sam quickly said and twisted his head to the side to look at me from the angle. "But I will say to you, that having all of us makes a difference to Jacob."

I glanced quietly at Jacob, my friend. I could tell that he was uncomfortable, it was evident in the way he sat so stiffly next to me. His jaw was clenched tightly and he did not touch the Sprite in front of him. I couldn't tell if having them around helped him or hurt him. I wished I knew what the fuck was going on. It'd make it _so_ much easier.

Paul shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Why are we even having this conversation with her, Sam? It's stupid."

Sam completely ignored him, and so did I. Instead, I turned to Emily and with a raised eyebrow, stated the obvious. "_She_ knows."

"Emily is Sam's girlfriend." Jared butted in with a smock smile on his face. He nodded towards Jacob and I and continued with the teasing. "And since you're not Jacob's girlfriend... the rules don't apply to you." he laughed again and Jacob tensed even more.

"Shut up, man." Embry said and hit him with a closed fist on his arm.

I breathed in deeply. "Well, fine." I said, "I mean, can't change how I feel about that, I just think that you should all know that Jake and I are... _best friends_." I paused, "The rules should apply."

"Well they _don't_." Jacob firmly said next to me with such a sneer in his voice, I almost jumped out of my seat. Did I detect the slightest hint of... regret? I sure hoped not.

I looked at Sam then. This was going nowhere and if they would continue to beat around the bush and really not share anything with me, then I'd go home instead. I'd be hella bored, but it was better than to feel so left out. "OK, so what's the deal then? What am I doing here if you're not gonna talk?"

Sam leaned back in his chair and seemed to ease up a bit, having realised that I was dropping the subject. "We do wanna talk to you about one thing." he explained to me with a small glance in Jacob's direction. "Jacob mentioned that... well, that you'd been talking a lot to the Cullens?"

I could not believe this. What was it about the Quileutes and their outraged phobia for the Cullen family? What could those sweet people have done that made people loathe them like that in the reservation? What could have happened to make them so scared, so furious with the kind family? I breathed in heavily and clutched the side of my chair. How could Jacob talk to them about me? I mean, sure, it was okay if he didn't like the fact that I hung out with Alice; he was my best friend, I could handle that, I could even understand that if he truly was scared for my life. But the rest of his friends? What was I to them? Why did they need to know, and most importantly – why did they _care_?

"I'm not having this conversation with you." I firmly told him, pushing my chair back. "I've told Jake how I feel about the Cullens, and since he doesn't wanna share these _legends_ about them, I feel pretty confident that you won't either, and until I have some facts, I'll not stop hanging out with Alice." I quickly rambled off, my anger getting the best of me as they all stared at me in wonder.

Quil butted in, "Alice? Is she the short one – or the blonde one?"

What did it fucking matter?

"I'm leaving now." I said, mostly to Jacob than to either of the others. I was past caring about being polite since I was pretty certain I would not be going back here anyway.

But Jacob did not want me to leave. His hand had reached out to grab my arm quicker than I could move, and now he held me in a firm grip, keeping me in the small house, even when I tried to rip my arm out of his giant hand. I didn't say anything, I silently used all my strength to get my arm back, and when I realised that was impossible, I turned my head away from him and focused on a small dent in the wall.

"Bella," Sam spoke again, but I didn't look at him. "Jacob's scared for you. You should know that there are good reasons for us not liking the Cullen family. We hoped that we could advice you to stay away from them. It's hurting Jacob, knowing you're getting closer to them. We just want to make sure you'll be okay. That they won't hurt you."

"She's not _gonna_ hurt me!" I argued for what seemed like the billionth time. Trying once more to rip my arm out of Jacob's hand without succeeding, I groaned loudly. "Alice is the sweetest person I've ever met. The best friend I've ever had – lots better that you're looking right now, Jake!" I argued, finally looking at him again, this time with angry tears in my eyes. "She's the most delicate little thing, I-"

"So, she _is_ the the short one!" Embry interrupted me with a pat on Quil's forehead.

"-I've _ever met_!" I breathed in sharply, glaring at each one of them. "She's the only reason it's even worth going to school because the rest of them are just idiots. And her parents are sweet. And she did save me from being mugged on my first night in town, so to state the obvious-" I was now breathing heavily since my tone of voice and the speed in which I was talking was taking its toll on me, "she's _far_ from dangerous. She's actually pretty great."

"Would you look at that," Paul shook his head, "she's defending a Cullen."

I blinked and wished desperately that I did not cry when I got very angry.

Jacob slowly loosened his grip on my arm. "I can't believe this..." he murmured, shaking his head.

"Can't believe what?" Jared asked him.

Jacob pushed his chair back too, now letting my arm drop completely. But despite my sudden freedom, my desire to run was gone at the moment. I wanted – badly – to hear what Jacob had to say now. He looked at me for a few very long seconds, before letting his eyes run across the room. "I'm so stupid."

Emily had not been a part of this conversation, but her anonymous look faded slightly away as some sort of realization hit her and her face turned struck with horror. Her eyes went to meet mine and she shook her head.

"What?" Sam inquired.

Jacob's face turned to mine again, and now he had a look of total disgust edged across his face. "She has feeling for her!" he blurted, raised a hand to point an accusative finger at me, "She's got fucking feelings for that little freak! It's obvious! Would you look at her, it's written all over her face!"

I just stared at Jacob in complete shock as everybody turned to look at me. I could not believe that my best friend would say such a thing in front of so many strangers. I couldn't understand the look that he was giving me, the tone in his voice, everything about him. He'd just completely sold me out! Just blurred out something I – up until this moment – had not addressed myself. I'd known I liked Alice from the first time I saw her, but... after getting to know her, I guess that I'd started having some feelings for her too. And Jacob had just shared that information with everyone in this house, and it was not something I appreciated.

Embry looked at me with huge eyes and all I could do was look to my feet as reality hit me once more. They weren't going to handle this well – not in any way. And Embry made a sound of disgust while Jared and Quil joined together in laughter.

"Man!" Jared snorted, "Jacob, that's tough! The girl you like likes _another _girl!"

"Not just a girl," Jacob's voice pulled my eyes away from the floor, and I dared to look at him again, even if his voice gave away that he was positively hurt, "a _Cullen _girl."

I didn't know what to do. There were things I knew would be difficult if I ever dated Alice. I'd known people would raise eyebrows and talk behind closed doors. But I'd always hoped my family and best friends would stick by me; always been sure they would, to be honest. Charlie would be thrilled that there was no way I'd end up pregnant like my mother, and Renée would be delighted as the happy-go-lucky person that she was. But this was even worse, Jacob was... Jacob. And not only did he not like the fact that I was into another girl. It was also a girl from a family that he hated for some reason, and... his... feelings for me – well, that wasn't going to make it easier either.

Sam sighed heavily and my eyes went to meet his. "I guess there's nothing we can do for you then." he firmly said to me, even if his eyes told me that if I did change my mind, I was welcome to tell him so at any time.

I did not want to leave things like this with Jacob, even if I knew that this was my cue to leave. He was hurt right now, but it was nothing he couldn't get over. I wanted us to stay friends, there had got to be a way that we could get over this; we'd known each other for ages, we were supposed to be there for each other through thick and thin. But... what would I say? What would I do? What could make him understand that – that I don't choose who I love? That the heart wants what it wants!

I reached an arm out to touch his, "Jake..." I begun, but he jerked away from my fingers.

"Don't touch me." he firmly said, his eyes not meeting mine.

I couldn't bare leaving like this, my heart was going to break into tiny pieces if I left now. There had to be something I could do! "Jake please..." I begged, and once more, I felt tears in my eyes, but this time, it wasn't from anger – it was from sadness. "Can't we just talk about it? I don't want to lose you.. I want us to still be friends."

His usually so warm eyes finally met mine. "I can't be friends with you, if you're chummy with a Cullen."

And that was when I knew. There was nothing I could do or say that would make him change his mind. Whatever it was that these people thought the Cullens would do to me, it had them scared for life. And I knew that I could not stop being with Alice; there was no way that I would feel hole if I did. My only hope was that eventually Jacob would come to his senses and listen me. If I just kept trying, if I called every day, drove out here, sent him emails, someday, he was going to listen to me. Hopefully. So I didn't say another word right now, I simply turned around on my heal and walked right out of that door.

I already missed him a little bit.

* * *

_I wasn't really sure what to do with the wolves. I wanted to introduce them right now, because their legends will be an important part, I'm not completely sure though, how much they'll actually be in the story yet. And I didn't want to make the pack too big, so I had to decide where to cut it. To me it felt like I'd be a lot easier if Leah hadn't joined to pack yet, so I decided to leave it with only these boys. _

_Anyway. I'm sorry if this chapter seems a little rough around the edges; it was very difficult for me to write. I still hope you enjoy it though, because even if there's no Alice, it's very important to the story. Please leave me a comment with your thoughts. _

_**Disclaimer; **I don't own Twilight. _


	7. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven **

After my crappy weekend, I was excited when it was time for school again. School meant Alice, school meant distractions. So imagine my annoyance when I waited around all day for her, and she didn't show up – none of them did. And though Jacob had completely ruined the happiness I'd been surrounding myself with since I came to Forks, I had been able to cheer up this morning, when I looked out of the window and saw that the sun was still shimmering down; the forest around the house radiating in the most beautiful way possible.

But all of that was quickly ruined when I realised that Alice wasn't going to come to school today. I had Biology without Edward and with Gym to finish off the day, it couldn't get much worse. Except for at lunch, where I was forced to participate in conversations about lame things, when all I really wanted was to sit across from Alice and ask her about everything that came to mind.

"So Bella, what did you do this weekend?" Jessica wished to know as she picked her chicken salad and gulped down water.

I glanced to my plate of fries and my coke and cleared my throat. "I went to visit my friends in the reservation."

This seemed to grasp Lauren's attention which was weird since I sort of got the vibe that she did not like to talk to me. "You have friends there?" she barked, "Oh my God! Some of the guys from La Push are so big! I met one of them in town a couple of weeks ago, I totally freaked out."

I snorted inwardly. "Well, they might be huge, but they're pretty great."

My resentment towards the La Push crew must have been evident in my voice or face somehow (I had to teach myself to lie better!), because Angela gave me a curious look. I guess it's hard to hide one's dislike for people who totally crushed you just two days earlier. My lie was see-through.

"Did something happen?" Jessica asked, now eager to get the newest gossip. "I thought you said that you and Jacob Black had been friends since you were kids?"

"Oh we have." I quickly bid her off, before I bent my head and tried to focus on my food.

Angela shifted uncomfortably in the seat next to me. "So how about that Maths quiz, huh?" she questioned the others, and I thanked her from my mind. She was the greatest friend someone could be; she could just sense when I needed rescue and she did so without questions.

But Lauren and Jessica did not want to talk about Maths and quizzes. Gossip was more their thing. "It's so unfair." Jessica – the constant talker – gushed from her seat with an eye towards the huge windows. "It's like, now the weather's good and where are the Cullens? Out hiking as per usual, my parents would never do that with me."

"You're not even a hiker, quit moaning about it." Lauren fired back at her in annoyance.

"Still!" Jessica continued to whine, "I'd like to have the option."

I didn't particularly like the fact that the conversation was now on the Cullens because that just made me miss Alice even more now that she wasn't here. I desperately wanted the subject to change, so I said the first thing that came to mind, "You do not wanna go hiking right now, Jess." I informed her.

Angela smiled at me and Jessica gave me a questionable look.

OK, alright. I could do this. Participate in a normal and ordinary conversation. "My father told me that these big wolves have been attacking hikers and it's not safe to be in the woods."

"Really?" Jessica shifted in her seat, "Because I heard, like, that they weren't sure that it were wolves. My mother works at the hospital, and some of the doctors say that it's not animal attacks."

I shrugged my shoulders. "My father did mention that, but he also said that the others down at the station think it's definitely the wolves."

"I just know it's fucking scary, OK?" Lauren butted in. "I would not go hiking if I were you, Jess. I don't even wanna to to the beach, it's right next to the woods."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at Lauren's obvious stupidity and sunk into my seat with a look towards the Cullen table. For everyone else, it was just a regular day, no one seemed to mind that the table closest to the back of the cafeteria was empty, no one even seemed to notice. But to me, it seemed like everything was wrong, that there was something very essential missing. It wasn't a regular day, something was desperately wrong.

Would it be OK if I tried to call Alice when I got home? Or would that seem completely stupid? After all, they wouldn't be home, they'd be out hiking. Maybe I could leave a message and tell her to call me as soon as she arrived home? I know it was desperate, I just missed her, and I wanted to see her, hear her voice. But it would probably seem odd for me to call her at home, right? We weren't quite there. Even if _she'd_ called me at home.

I continued to muse about whether or not to call her through the rest of my day. I did even worse in Gym than I used to and I hit poor Mike with a racquet twice (he took it like a man), because I simply could not focus properly. The teacher sent me to the bench again, and I just continued to think of Alice as I sat there, gazing into nothing while the rest of my classmates fooled around in the gymnasium.

It was the only thing I could do the next couple of days. As the sun kept shining down, the rest of Forks wore shorts and t-shirts and sunbathed in the warm weather (which was nothing like the sun on clouded days in Phoenix), while I sulked in my classes, because the Cullens still hadn't returned yet.

It was weird, how I could miss Alice so much. I guess it was because I'd practically spent all the time since I got here, talking to her. It would probably have been better if I took it as a warning and decided to get closer to some of my other friends, but I just – I couldn't. All I wanted was to get close to her; to know every little detail about her life, to know what secrets were hidden beneath those topaz eyes of hers. I didn't want to think of the possibility that she could be leaving and I'd be left alone with no other friends. That wasn't going to happen – Alice would be here. Always.

Charlie was busy with work down at the station since they'd had no luck catching the wolves yet, so he worked late. On some days, I'd bring him dinner, but on most days he'd eat junk food. I could tell he felt bad for leaving me alone so much, but I told him I didn't mind, that it was his job to keep the citizens of Forks safe and that I'd get no sleep if I kept him away from doing that. He got the hugest smile on his face when I said that to him, he was proud, I could tell. But I could also tell that he still felt guilty for leaving me at home.

I didn't mind though, it was the truth. I called Renée, and though she could tell that something was wrong, she didn't question me about it; she was so busy telling me all about her life and Phil and everything that had been going on; apparently Phil had actually been signed to _the Suns_ in Jacksonville, Florida, so now they were moving there. He'd still be travelling a lot, but my mother had taken on the task of decorating the house with absolute determination. She said I should come visit soon, but I couldn't ask Charlie for that kind of money, so it'd have to wait a while.

I also tried getting in contact with Jacob. I knew it was stupid of me to care, but I couldn't help myself. He'd treated me badly, not at all like the Jacob I knew and loved. But I also knew that I'd hurt him badly, and that what he was feeling was bound to go away and that – at some point – I'd be likely to get my old Jacob back. And I wanted us to be friends when that happened, I didn't want to lose him. But apparently he didn't seem to believe our friendship was worth fighting for; he ignored my calls and my emails, and I felt hurt, deeply. But what could I do? If he didn't want to talk to me, it was certainly a possibility to stay clear of me.

Instead I used the next couple of nights (after my homework was done, of course) searching for some information about the old Quileute legends. If I were ever going to figure out the mystery of the apparent fight between the Quileutes and the Cullens, I knew those legends were the way to go. And I also thought that maybe they'd be the key to what made Alice so special. I was sure she was something extraordinary, something out of this world; I knew it wasn't just love making me picture these things – there was something there. Certainly. But I wasn't scared off by the fact that she might not be human (after all, it was pretty clear to everybody that her beauty was not natural), it actually just intrigued me even more. Normal people might have gone off running into the other direction, but I wasn't normal. I'd known that for many years, and maybe that was why I just seemed to be drawn to her rather than pushed away.

The task though, pretty soon turned out to be harder than I thought it would be. The Quileute legends weren't just accessible to everyone. Apparently the native Americans took their stories more seriously than anything and there was just about nothing online. I knew though, that somewhere I would find something I could use. One could google everything and up popped a gazillion answers. It would be the same with the legends, if I just knew how to swing it the right way.

Googleing 'Quileute legends' left me with thousandths of references to articles and studies, which was not what I was aiming for. I didn't need to analyse on whether or not these stories were true, because to Jacob and the rest of them, they were. And would I be even looking at this if doubted him? At first I'd questioned why he believed in those legends, but as I thought about it even more, maybe he was right. Maybe he believed those legends because there was actually something to believe _in_. I knew the Cullens were something special, and perhaps the Quileute legends had the answers to all of that. How else would I connect the dots?

This was my _only_ chance.

But my hard work left me with almost nothing. I was able to find an online draft of a book on the Quileutes' personal stories. I learned that they were supposed to be descented from wolves, like a lot of people think that we're descented from apes. It was sort of interesting to be honest; it said that they were supposed to be big wolves with warm blood running through their veins, which really made me chuckle – right there in front of my computer – since Jacob always felt especially warm, even when he was wearing nothing but cut-off jeans. But I couldn't really use that in any way; it had nothing to do with anything I was searching for and not once did the name 'Cullen' appear on those sides. I'd have to do better than this.

**x**

When I got up Wednesday morning, the weather was back to the rainy, familiar Forks, and it fit my mood perfectly. The slump I'd been in the last couple of days wouldn't have fit the happy moods of my friends at school, so if they were bummed because the rain had started pouring again, I wouldn't feel so out of place.

It wasn't until I arrived at school after a slow morning, that I realised what the rain meant. Jessica was nice enough to comment on it as soon as I met her and Mike by the overhang at the cafeteria windows.

"Oh great, the Cullens are back now." she mumbled with a sour tone in her voice.

I could feel my heart skip a beat as my eyes shot up to grace across the parking lot quickly. I hadn't given the current weather change much of a thought, but of course that meant that their hiking trip was now over. I couldn't help but smile when I saw the familiar Jeep parked right next to the stunning Volvo. My eyes landed on the smallest Cullen as she gracefully got out of the front seat of Edward's car. She was wearing ballerina flats today, in spite of the weather, and though she was currently wrapped in a stylish red raincoat, I knew she'd be wearing something fancy underneath.

I saw Edward bend down to whisper something into her ear, and suddenly her eyes were lifted up and had met mine in a lock. I couldn't help the blush that quickly rose to my cheeks as I bent my eyes to the ground again – embarrassed to have been caught staring.

"Great," I heard Mike mumble, "the freak is coming over here..."

My eyes moved up again and followed Alice as she crossed the parking lot with determination, aiming straight at us. I frantically turned to Jessica and Mike. "I'll see you guys later, OK?"

Jessica must have caught the hint in my voice, because she grabbed a good hold of Mike's arm and dragged him with her towards the entrance – not before giving me a curious look though; I'd have to answer all of her questions later.

When I looked the other way again, Alice was right next to me. "You're still in one piece, I see." she chimed, and for a second I was amazed with her voice after not hearing it for almost five days. "What did you do this weekend?"

There was a hint of something in her voice that I couldn't quite put my finger on. It sounded almost as... worry. But I couldn't be sure. Maybe I just wanted her to worry, so I might be biased. I stuttered to answer her. "I went to visit my friend."

She placed a finger to her temple. "I remember. You said that last Friday."

I gave her a puzzled look.

"Nothing else?" she continued to question me, her eyes gracing my every feature as they searched my face for answers.

I shook my head. "Did you have a good hiking trip with your family?"

Her face lit up into a small smile, and she placed an arm around me, as we continued to walk beneath the overhang towards the front doors of the school. I had History first, I didn't know about her. "We had a good trip, yes. The weather was wonderful."

"You didn't meet any huge wolves, did you?" I asked her then.

She paused in her tracks and glanced up at me. "Huge wolves? No. Why?"

I couldn't help but chuckle, because confusion was just adorable on her. "Well, Charlie said that they've had some troubles with hikers and wolves, and I was just worried that-" I couldn't finish the sentence as a huge lump got caught in my throat.

Alice just laughed and started walking again. I, however, did not, I simply just watched her, as I stood there, not getting what was so funny, _at all_. Did she think that it was hilarious that hikers got killed by wolves? Or did she just think that I was a dork, like usual? She stopped in her tracks and turned around to look at me. "Bella," she whispered, a caring smile coming onto her lips, "you don't need to worry about my family – we can take care of ourselves."

I met her again as I took a step forward. "I don't doubt that you know how to take care of yourselves, Alice, I'm just saying that these are _big_ wolves," I motioned with my hands, "like _huge_, actually."

She grabbed my hand tightly, and for a second there, I swore my heart stopped. "Don't worry about us." she firmly told me, a small smile on her gorgeous face. Her brilliant eyes shimmered with laughter as she pulled me down for a hug.

When I pulled back, I said, "I can't help but worry. I like you, Alice."

"I like you too." she whispered into my ear, her cold breath tickling me and sending chills down my spine.

And I just stared at her when she gazed into my eyes. It amazed me, really, how someone could be so stunningly beautiful. It didn't seem fair to me that all the beauty in this world went to one person – this fantastic little person in front of me. How come she got to be so gorgeous, when the rest of us walked around all day, looking like each other, completely blending in?

Alice smiled at me, obviously shy beneath the sudden stare I was giving her. "Did you wanna get together after school to work on our project?"

I snapped out of it. "Sure!" I breathed, still not completely over the butterflies in my stomach; those butterflies I got whenever I looked at her and really saw.

"Can we go to your house?"

I blinked. "Yes. Of course. If – if that's okay with you?"

She laughed at me, shaking her head in wonderment. I was being silly and dorky, and she was being totally cool about it. Placing a hand on my arm, she rose herself up and placed a light kiss on my cheek. Her lips were cold, but the feeling I got in the pit of my lower abdomen spoke volumes.

She giggled, and after that, left for the Art building, hurrying across the lot with a grace of her own. Pulling myself out of it, I ran towards the doors as well, knowing I was late for History and that my teacher would not be happy. I would survive though, no matter what her punishment turned out to be; Alice had just made my day, totally and completely.

The rest of the day seemed to go by incredibly slow. With an entire afternoon and evening in Alice's company to look forward to, the day couldn't end fast enough. But I still had to sit through subjects such as History and Maths, and I checked my watch every five minutes and did not gather any information from any of my teachers. All I could think about was Alice's cold lips against my cheek, the feeling of her arms around me and the way she smiled, her eyes shimmering with happiness. It amazed me that I wasn't the only one who loved these moments; she always seemed particularly happy as well.

One of my teachers had to call on me three times, before Eric elbowed me in the side and whispered me the answer. Stammering it out, I saw my teacher give me a strange look, but he did not call on me again. I realised that I was being completely idiotic, acting like this, but I simply couldn't help it.

And as soon as my last class was done, I scurried to gather my things and hurried to my car in such a rush, I almost slipped several times on the way. But when I got there, it wasn't Alice who was waiting for me: Mike Newton was leaning against my truck, and he lit up in a big smile when he saw me approaching. Cursing that boy beneath my breath, I offered him a smile.

"Hi Mike." I said to him, opening my door to get my things into the car. I quickly let my eyes wander across the seat, pleased to see that it wasn't too messy. There was plenty of room for Alice.

Mike shifted his weight uncomfortably on this feet and scraped his foot against the ground. "Uhm hi Bella."

I smiled at him expectantly, urging him to go on. I could see out of the corner of my eye that Alice was talking to her siblings near their car. It would be lovely if Mike could get on out of here before Alice was ready to go.

"I was uhm, I was wondering if, if you might wanna, wanna go with me to the dance?"

I froze completely as the last word left his lips. Did he just-? Oh _fuck no_! He did not just ask me that! Was he aware of what completely uncomfortable position he'd just put me in? Why did he have to think that I wanted to go with him? Didn't he have Jessica to go with for that sort of thing anyway? Why would he think that _I-_? That boy was completely out of his mind. Heck no was I going to to some stupid ball with him!

Mike's smile was slowly fading as I was reluctant to answer. "Bella?"

Shaking myself out of it, I wondered how I could get out of this one. Without hurting his feelings too much, I mean. I could easily tell him no, but I still wanted him to be my friend, so telling him to bugger off was clearly not an option. Now it was my turn to shift uncomfortably on my feet. "Mike, I uhm, I think that I might probably-"

"Hello folks!"

I turned around with a huff and had never been happier to see Alice in my entire life. Standing there, huddled in her raincoat even if it was only a small drizzle coming from the sky right now, she was smiling hugely, and somehow I had a feeling that she knew exactly which conversation she'd just interrupted.

"Alice!"

"Oh... hi Alice."

Mike's disappointment was evident on his face.

She placed an arm around me. "Are you ready to go? I told Rose that I'd be home late."

Mike stared between the two of us, and he seemed awfully uncomfortable with the chumminess that I had with Alice. But still, he didn't seem to want to leave before I'd given him an answer – and I really didn't want to. It was bad enough that I had to shoot him down when we were alone, but now in front of somebody? Well, that was just cruel.

I decided to opt for the easy way out – for both of us. "Mike, can we talk about this tomorrow?"

Before the poor guy had time to answer, Alice butted in, "Talk about what? What's going on?"

She had a sneaky smile on her face, and I could tell with certainty that she knew exactly what was going on. Not that I had any idea how she knew, but I just _knew_ that she did know. Mike wasn't nearly as familiar with Alice's expressions as me though, so he had no way of knowing this. "I just asked Bella if she wanted to come to the dance with me." he told Alice, still very uncomfortable.

Alice looked up at me as I perched my mouth shut, and then stared back at Mike. "She can't."

"She can't?" he questioned, now eyeing me, clearly wanting me to disagree with Alice. Which I wouldn't, of course. If she could get me out of this one, I'd be thankful.

"No." Alice told him again, tightening her grip around my waist slightly, now holding me uncomfortably tight. "She can't, she's already got a date. She's going with me."

This caused both Mike and I to completely lose it; I almost choked next to her in my own spit, while Mike's eyes seemed to pop unnaturally far out of his head. Turning my eyes down to meet hers, she gave me a reassuring smile, and though I was not as calm as I'd like to be, I somehow trusted that she knew what she was doing. I had faith in her, Alice Cullen.

Mike took a step back. "Are you two-?"

I knew what he was trying to say, and so did Alice, for she shook her head and lit up in a grin. "No! Mike!" she giggled, "We're going as friends, we thought it'd be fun. Better than to go stag anyway!"

The slight hope that had somehow raised inside of me died by that comment. If I'd thought more about it, I would probably have been silly enough to hope that this was her way of asking me to the dance with her, so it was a good thing that I hadn't been alone with my thoughts. That could have really messed me up. Now, everything was clarified immediately, and it felt good to know that I wouldn't have to go with Mike Newton, even if it seemed like Alice did not want to 'date' me.

"Oh... okay." Mike whispered, "I'll just ask Jessica then. I'll uh, I'll see you tomorrow, Bella." he finished, before he was off.

Alice released her grip on me and took a step back. "You're welcome."

Opening the car door, I got inside, expecting her to do the same. I had no idea what had just happened, but it felt very weird to me. We'd never discussed going to the dance together, and she probably knew that I wouldn't want to go – after all, me and dances were not such a good match. I turned the engine on as she took a seat next to me, hopping gracefully inside, even if she was so tiny.

"What just happened out there?" I fired at her as my car turned on with a roar.

Alice shrugged her shoulders. "I'd hoped you might want to come to the dance with me. I mean, I knew that you didn't really want to, but I still hoped you'd consider going. For me."

I backed out of the lot and went into the line of cars, waiting to get out of there. "I hate dances."

"I know that." she lightly whispered. "But I love dances, and I love dressing up. I'd hoped you wanted to be my date. I usually go with Edward, but he's so boring."

I made a face. "I don't really dance, Alice."

"You could learn to." she replied, her chimy voice ringing throughout the car, overshadowing the noise coming from the engine. "And I'd find you a dress and we could have fun and just be together."

I glanced at her, as I finally drove out of the parking lot. "But Alice – I hadn't planned on going. And why did you wanna go with me anyway? Why not find some guy around here. I'm sure plenty of them would love to be your date."

Alice laughed then, and stared at me in wonderment. "But Bella, I don't wanna take them. I wanna take _you_."

"But _why_?" I whispered. I truly did not understand it – why did she want to go to the dance as best friends, when she could get every guy on campus to take her instead? There was just something that didn't add up there, and I really wanted to understand it. But sometimes she thought that my mind worked exactly the way that hers did, but that wasn't the case. I didn't always understand what she's trying to say.

"Because I actually like being near you. We'd have more fun."

That was a pretty solid answer, but I couldn't help but feel bummed. A part of me might have hoped that she'd done all this so she could ask me out, so we could go together, as real dates. But apparently that wasn't the case. Should I ask her though? I mean, should I ask her if she was gay? I made a face.

"Bella, pleeeeease?" Alice begged next to me, her lower lip somehow pulling itself out into a pouty look.

It wasn't like _that _did the trick. Even before she decided to go pouty on me, I'd known what I wanted to say. I couldn't say no to that, I couldn't deny her anything. I shot her a small smile. "You do know what people are gonna think when we go together, right?" I questioned her then.

Alice let out a loud squeal and clapped her hands together. "Thank you, Bella!" she cheered, completely ecstatic that I'd decided to play along to her little charade.

I shook my head at her, but couldn't help but chuckle.

"And it doesn't matter," Alice firmly told me, her eyes watching me as I drove with care, "what people think about it. Whether they think we're together or not. We'd look good together."

I took in a deep breath, happy that we were almost at my house, because I really needed to get out of this car and this conversation. "You really think so?" I whispered.

Alice flashed her teeth at me. "I know so. And it's not like it'd be such a bad thing for them to think we were together." she paused. "Right?"

"Uhm," I didn't really know what to say, "right."

She'd opened the door on her side, practically before the car had come to a stop. I, myself, felt perplexed and confused about the conversation we'd just shared. It had seemed to me as if she wouldn't mind them thinking we were something more. Did that mean that she wanted to be something more? Or that she just didn't mind the thought of it? She confused me, she really did.

I got out of the car and locked us into the house. Before doing anything, Alice demanded a small tour of the house, so I gave her one, and she took a seat by the kitchen table to get started on our project, while I begun to cook some spaghetti for dinner. We were just brainstorming at first. Both having read the poem, we knew exactly what it was about. But we didn't know how to change it up. I cleverly suggested Alice just do us a painting, but she refused to do that, saying that two other groups had already decided to do so, and we had to do something special.

While I worked and Alice sat by the kitchen table with a piece of paper in front of her, trying to write down ideas, I couldn't help but smile at the sight. Stylish Alice Cullen in her fashionable outfit and perfectly done make-up and hair, she just seemed so completely misplaced in Charlie's old, worn kitchen with its dull colours. Not that I minded her being there, I loved the sight, but something just didn't seem right.

Alice looked up from the paper and offered me a tiny smile. "I think your father is here."

I glanced out of the kitchen window, but could not see his police car in the driveway as usual. I turned around and shot Alice a confused look, but she was already sitting with her nose to the paper again, so I turned around once more, and there he was; just coming into the driveway. Turning around to look at Alice again, she offered me a bigger smile and I decided not to comment on it.

When my father entered the house, he let out a contend sigh, happy with the smell that was streaming from the kitchen and into the small hallway. He hung his belt and gun by the door and entered the kitchen to greet me. But today he stopped in the doorway, confused by the unfamiliarity that was Alice.

"Hello." he muttered, moving his eyes from tiny Alice to me with a confused look.

"Hi Dad." I told him with a huge smile. "This is Alice... uhm Cullen. This is Alice Cullen." I figured I might as well mention that; he'd love the fact that I hung out with a Cullen after school hours.

Alice stood up from the chair and offered Charlie her hand. "Nice to meet you, Chief Swan."

He shook her hand and smiled warmly at her. "Hi Alice."

I couldn't help but chuckle to myself as I turned to the stove again. It might not have seemed like much, but that right there, that was my father liking Alice immediately.

"Will you be staying here for dinner, Alice?" my father then wished to know, and I felt completely stupid because I hadn't asked her already.

But apparently Alice didn't think so. "Actually, I'm not that hungry today, but I'd like to stay so Bella and I can work more on our project after dinner."

I turned around on the spot and our eyes locked. My father though, gave Alice a curious look. "You're awfully skinny. Are you sure it's a good idea not to eat dinner?"

"Dad!" I hissed at him.

Alice just laughed. "I've always been tiny. Don't worry about it, Chief Swan, I had a very big lunch."

Which I knew was a lie, because I'd been gazing towards her table the entire lunch break and none of them had eaten anything. They'd all had food and drinks in front of them, but none of them had even taken a bite or a sip.

Charlie seemed to buy that though. "Alright." he grumbled, and then dragged his feet into the living room to watch TV until dinner was done.

Alice got up from her seat at the table and packed away the things we'd put there, before she tentatively went to one of our cupboards and picked two plates to set the table. I didn't even want to ask how she knew in which cupboard they were in, and I didn't, either, want to tell her not to set the table for me. I knew she'd do it anyway to help me while I cooked. Alice was great like that, and it was truly wonderful to have her around. We talked about everything, now that we'd put our homework aside for some time. I asked her more about her siblings and her parents, because they truly still fascinated me, and we talked about Edward and her. According to her, they were best friends and partners in crime. As an only child, having siblings – even just one – had always been a dream of mine, and Alice had four of them along with two parents who were still together and completely in love.

I was really amazed by how she spoke of every family member of hers. Maybe it was because Dr. and Mrs. Cullen weren't her real parents, but it still struck me how she'd talk of Dr. Cullen with so much respect and admiration, and of Mrs. Cullen with love that seemed to go beyond anything an ordinary teenager would feel for their mother. And all of her siblings, she truly loved them as well. She told me that I'd have to meet Emmett someday soon, because apparently he was dying to talk to me too, and though that scared me a bit, I had a feeling that perhaps he'd be one big, playful bear who wasn't afraid to joke around with me. And Rosalie, she said, always seemed rigid to other people, but was actually full of love for her family, a family that meant everything to her. Jasper was the odd one out, just like herself, he was quiet and thoughtful, and he usually missed his girlfriend a lot during the weekdays – that was why he always seemed to be so sad.

I wanted to ask more about her, to get to know every little detail about her, but I had a feeling that we'd have plenty of time to get to know each other better; that this friendship with her was going to last.

During dinner, it was my father's turn to ask Alice about everything. I ate in silence as my father slurped out his questions that Alice answered without a blink. Charlie was very interested in Dr. Cullen of course, asking how he was doing and if he had a lot of work, and Alice just talked about it, while she sent me small smiles every now and then. I couldn't help but feel happy that the two of them seemed to be getting along so well; it would have been a nightmare if they didn't.

Even when my father asked Alice if she had a boyfriend, she was all smiles as she told him that she wasn't really dating these days. According to Charlie, that made Alice into one '_very_ clever young woman'.

After dinner we retired to my room to get some privacy. Walking up the stairs, I lamely excused my father.

"Don't worry about it, Bella," Alice chimed at me as she took a seat on my bed, "he seems to like me. That's all I care for."

I turned on the radio, not caring what channel it was on, just hoping that it'd get us a bit more privacy from my father's lurking ears. I had a feeling he'd listen in if he passed my room and I didn't really want him to catch anything that might worry him in case we decided to go back to the subject we discussed in the car. Not that I hoped we would... alright. You caught me. _That_ was a lie.

I took a seat next to her on the bed then, sitting dangerously close to the girl I'd been wanting for quite some time now. It was strange, how my heart would somehow quicken it's phase when she was near me. How I'd feel even more aware of myself and how I acted. She did those things to me, and it confused me, but I still liked it. "Are you going to make me wear a fancy dress to that dance?" I whispered then, somehow hoping that if I opened up the subject once more, we'd somehow end up near the 'are you gay?'-part of the conversation again.

Alice turned her head to mine, and our noses were so close they could almost touch. "Of course I'm gonna make your wear a fancy dress, Bella. I plan on taking you shopping with Rose, Mom and I."

Normally that would have scared me, but everything seemed okay when Alice was so close to me. "Okay." I said.

Alice's eyes searched mine. "We'll do your hair. And we'll do your make-up. And we're gonna dance." she continued to say, obviously trying to scare me.

But I was certain that it was going to be wonderful with her. "I am not afraid." I huskily whispered.

And this caused a tiny smile to break out on Alice's face. "Bella." she firmly said, her breath tickling my upper lip.

"Alice."

The tension in the room was somehow changing drastically as we sat there, closely together. My feelings were right beneath the surface, and if I wasn't careful, I might do something stupid that wasn't thought through, and I'd end up ruining everything. Or creating it. I wasn't quite sure if it was a risk I was willing to take though.

"Bella..." she whispered then, and suddenly, something in her voice was changed, something in her entire expression. She reached a hand up and gently placed it on my cheek, her eyes settling to mine in a look deeper than I'd ever experienced before. I could feel the tiny hairs on my arms raise up as a strange sensation found its way into my stomach and lower regions. My eyes were settled on her pink lips, as she spoke my name once more, "Bella!"

Her voice was strained with self-control and when my eyes went to meet hers again, they weren't the dazzling colour I was so used to; they were inky black, and I could do nothing but just stare at her. She shivered in restraint in front of me, and before I knew what had happened, she'd scooted away to give me room.

I was breathing heavily, as if I'd just run a marathon, and Alice was sitting there; her entire body was shivering violently and she had her head in her hands. It was the first time she'd ever looked breakable and vulnerable to me, and though I was confused as hell as to what had just happened, I kneeled down in front of her, gently prying her hands away from her face. "Alice..." I whispered. I wanted to try and make sense of this, I wanted to figure out what was happening between us.

"I'm sorry Bella," she whispered, her voice ringing like the most beautiful of bells as she lifted her head to look at me. "it's not fair to you. I'm sorry."

"I don't get what you're saying sorry for." I replied to her, letting my hands fall to her thighs.

She closed her eyes for a few seconds and breathed in deeply. "I need to leave now. I'll call Edward."

"No." I firmly said, pressing my hands down firmly as if that'd get her to stay. "No, you're not leaving right now, and when you are, I'm taking you."

She just stared at me.

"Alice," I begun, "what is it about you? You're – you're... different. And your eyes, they change colour!" I breathed out as I let my eyes wander across every part of her body. I hadn't planned on asking her, but I couldn't just ignore it, not anymore. "You're not normal. Despite the fact that you and your family try to blend in, I can easily tell. You're not like anyone else."

Alice blinked. "You wanna know what we are, I can see that you do." she whispered, her voice suddenly filled with a form of love I'd never experienced before. "But Bella, I can't tell you. You'll figure it out though, I know you will. I'm just not sure... _how._"

It wasn't like this didn't confuse me even more.

"Can you take me home now?" she then said, and I knew that this part was over now. She wasn't going to tell me what they were, but she hadn't denied that they were something. I mean – that was more than I'd hoped for anyway, right? And it was clear to me, that she wanted me to know their secrets, that she might even want to be with me. Because the moment we'd just shared before, it had been loaded with emotions, and I _knew_ that all of them weren't mine.

I stood up from the floor and without another word, Alice gathered her things together. I had no idea idea where she lived, and the only words spoken on the entire trip there, was her telling me when to take a turn, left or right. The tension inside the car was horrible, and I didn't know what to say to break it. Instead, I just mused about how right I'd been; they did live far outside of town, but on the exact opposite side as the reservation. This only led me to believe that there really was something between the Quileutes and the Cullens that wasn't just there because of old legends.

I nearly missed the turn towards their house because it was a small dirt road and if I'd met another car on it, one of us would have had to put the car in reverse to get out of there. Alice was stiff as a board in her seat the entire time, and it scared me a bit, because she was far from the Alice that I knew and loved so much. I just hoped that this wouldn't ruin anything between us. I needed her friendship to function properly, and I hoped that tomorrow everything would be back to normal.

Suddenly, as I turned the car right, a giant house came into view. It was the most beautiful house I'd ever seen, it was made mostly of glass and it had a beautiful garden everywhere around it. I couldn't help but let out a giant mess of air and sound as the look settled into my brain.

Alice turned to me then, and I was happy to see that she was smiling. "Thank you for today, Bella." she mumbled, before she quickly – so quickly I almost didn't realise it – placed a light kiss on my cheek and jumped out of the car.

I followed her with my eyes as she went up the stairs to the front door, and then I paused. Standing on the other side of the glass, a few windows down, was Rosalie. And she was looking at me; having seen the entire exchange between her sister and I. She did not look pleased, and all I could do was just gape at her as she stood there. She looked mighty, completely in charge of everything. But the second the door smacked close behind Alice, the blonde turned away to greet her sister.

But I could not forget that look as I turned my car and started the long way home through the forest. I could not forget the fact that Rosalie Cullen was not pleased with me.

* * *

_Thank you very much for the kind reviews for the last chapter! I'd been very insecure about posting it, and as I'd predicted, there were very different opinions on it. I'm still not entirely happy with how it turned out, so I might do a rewrite of it at some point, but it's not gonna be right now anyway. _

_There was a bit more of Alice in this chapter, and I'm trying to slowly build up everything between them. It's going to be a while before I post the next chapter, because I'm leaving for Greece on Sunday for my grandparents' joint 60th birthday, and it's going to be crazy. I'll try to be quick with the next chapter when I get back though. _

_Oh. And I have a question for you all regarding my summary. I've never been good at those, and I'm actually quite unhappy with the one I have right now, so I just wanted to hear your opinions on it – does it work okay, or should I try changing it? _

_Thank you! _

_**Disclaimer; **I don't own Twilight. _


	8. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight **

Confusion was never a good thing with me. Or. Let me rephrase that. Confusion was never a good thing with anyone. Period.

Confusion gets people all... _confused_. And who likes to be confused? Certainly not me. I mean – the entire deal with not knowing what to think, not really getting what other people are thinking, and not really understanding what the next move is. Yup, that's not very nice. And – unfortunately – that happened to me a lot.

Simple things confused me. It could be my mother or my father. Maybe a specific paragraph in a specific book. Perhaps a teacher during a class who said something I didn't quite get. On these occasions, I could be musing over my simple confusion all day long, not really ending with a solution of any sorts. So I was pretty easy to confuse under normal circumstances, but after everything that had happened since I returned to Forks... well, those circumstances weren't normal anymore, and my confusion was far from small.

Alice Cullen confused _the hell_ out of me.

After our conversation last night, I had not been able to sleep. Or maybe it's really wrong to call it conversation, because we did not converse very much. Basically, it was me asking Alice questions, Alice not really, but sort-of-anyway, answering those questions. Me trying to make sense of what Alice and I were (were we friends? Good friends, best friends? Or were we something more? Lovers, or... on the way to being lovers?), and Alice not helping me making sense or what we were, simply because she kept on being the cutest, most beautiful woman ever, and I had troubles getting my confusion right.

Hello? Was it that hard to figure out? Apparently so. Or at least for me it was! I mean. Normal people would probably had gotten a bit further with the progress after an entire sleepless night with nothing but thoughts. But no, not me. Because, see, this wasn't just any ordinary confusion about feelings and romance, and what to do about it. No, no, there was an added twist in the works, something about the girl of my dreams not being well,_ just_ _a girl_.

She did admit it to me. Alice did say that they were something, and she also said that I'd figure it out, but that she couldn't tell me. How's that supposed to make my confusion smaller? It certainly didn't, it made it even worse. How am I supposed to figure out what they are, when there's no hints and she won't tell me a single thing? I'm still positive that this has something to do with Jacob, which is just even more confusing.

"You look tired."

I snorted at my father's comment and reached for a bowl of cereal. Tired was an understatement. I was completely drenched for energy. All night, I'd been trying to go to sleep, but the events of the day had done cartwheels inside my brain no matter what I tried. I knew I'd be tired all day, but I desperately hoped that I'd be able to stay awake during classes. And I had to talk to Alice – no matter what she said. We had to talk about this, about what almost happened between us; she might not be able to tell me what they were, but we could still discuss us, right? _Right_?

"I'll probably be home early tonight, Bells." Charlie told me as he slipped into his police jacket. "We decided last night to stop searching for the big wolves."

My head snapped to the side, because even though I was tired, the words 'big wolves' did something to my attention. "Why'd you decide that?" I demanded to know.

Charlie cocked an eyebrow; maybe it was strange for him to experience me having so much interest in his work. After all, I'd never been interested when I was younger. "We hit a brick wall. There hasn't been more attacks the last couple of days, and it's likely that they've moved on through the woods towards the Canadian border, that they were just passing through."

I chewed on that for a while as I finished my breakfast and got ready for school. Should I be concerned that they hadn't caught these wolves, or should I just be happy that they seemed to have moved on from Forks? The latter was probably the best, since I could care less what happens other places, but I just... this nagging feeling told me that I had not seen or heard the last from these wolves. It couldn't be as easy as that!

But on the bright sight, the subject of the wolves gave me plenty to muse about all the way to school, so it was only when I laid eyes on Edward's car, that I remembered once more what had occurred between me and Alice last night. I knew I shouldn't be nervous, talking to her about this, but I couldn't help myself. All logical parts of me told me that Alice wouldn't find it weird and wouldn't think less of me, but still, it nagged me, it really did.

So imagine how relieved I was when it turned out, that Alice wasn't at school today. Despite the fact that I really did want to see her (apparently it is possible for a person to be addicted to another person), I was oddly thrilled that I'd have one more day to figure things out. Possibly, maybe. If not...

"Hello Bella."

I smiled at Edward as I took a seat next to him for this day's Biology class. It actually cheered me up a bit to know that I'd be spending the next two hours in his company, and that he wouldn't say anything to me if didn't want to talk. That was what I liked so much about him; he was quiet, not such a talker, like... Alice.

Not that I didn't like that about her, because I absolutely loved it. "Hi Edward." I offered him a small smile and opened my book to the last page we'd studied – we were still on cells as we'd been for the last couple of weeks. Which bored me, since I'd already studied that a lot in Phoenix and was pretty good at it. Between Edward and myself, well, we'd identify those phases quicker than our classmates could even look them up in the book.

I didn't really know how much Alice had talked to him about us, and suddenly I felt really shy beneath his kind eyes. Had she told him what almost happened between us last night? Had she said that I knew that they were something more? I could feel him looking at me, and the realisation that he might know these things, made me feel really awkward right there next to him. The odds that he knew were pretty big – Alice had never tried to hide that she was closer to Edward than any of her other siblings. She said they used to go together to places, that they had a lot of things in common, and that they had each other when everyone else was paired up in their family.

Edward chuckled. "You seem tired today."

"I didn't get much sleep last night." I hoarsely replied, turning my head to his.

His smile got even kinder. "I know exactly how you feel."

There seemed to be some sort of secret joke in that sentence, but I didn't want to ask him about it. Instead, I just turned my head to the table. Would it be too clingy if I asked him about Alice? Would I seem too desperate? But... but if he did know what had almost happened between us, then it wouldn't seem so weird. And I'd almost convinced myself that she had told him at this point. "Where's Alice... today?"

"She had some things she needed to figure out." Edward replied and I swore, right there, I heard something in his voice that told me that he definitely did know about the incident last night – about everything.

I swallowed loudly. "Oh."

Our teacher entered the classroom and started talking to us about the next pages we'd had to read for today and what we were going to do with it. It was all about cells in microscopes. How fun. I really stopped paying attention after he named the assignment, because I knew how to do it; instead I couldn't help but glance at Edward. What he'd said about Alice needing to figure things out really scared me. Not in the horror film kind of way, but in the sort of way where I was likely to fear that she did not feel those things for me that I felt for her. That was more scarier than any horror film could ever be.

We got our microscope and started working in silence. We took turns identifying the phases and the only words exchanged between us were when one of us claimed 'prophase' or 'anaphase' or one of the other three phases.

I took in a deep breather and turned my head to his. "Did she say what-?"

He cut me off. "It wasn't about last night, at least not about you."

That relieved me a bit.

Edward placed his arms on the table and locked his eyes with mine. "She likes you, Bella, a lot. She likes you the way that you like her." he smiled at me once more. "Things are sort of complicated, though, you know that."

"I don't get it." I murmured, shaking my head. "She admitted to me, that- that-" I couldn't finish the sentence.

"That we're not normal?" Edward rescued me, a daring glint in his eye.

I nodded.

He looked into the microscope, "Metaphase." he said, and I messily wrote it on the paper. "We're not exactly... normal, Bella. But I think you can handle it. I think you're good with abnormal."

I wasn't really sure what the appropriate answer to such a statement would be, so I just shrugged my shoulders. I'd lived with Renée much of my life and that had been pretty abnormal.

He said, "Alice says you'll know at some point, and when she says it, we pretty much all know it's a fact."

I stared at him, I couldn't help it. What was it about them? What made them different from everyone else, when not taking their beauty, charm and knowledge into account? They were _all _beautiful. What's the fucking odds of that happening in such a huge family? A family of _adopted_ children nonetheless? I had to get to the bottom of this, soon. Maybe it'd all be easier with Alice and I if I knew.

"But Bella," he said, leaning in closer, his mouth meeting my ear with a hushed whisper, "you don't know what you're getting yourself into with Alice, with us. I'm not supposed to say this, Esme _will _disapprove, but... maybe you should consider not being with her, not knowing. I like you, so I'm only saying this to help you."

I leaned back again with a weird feeling tingling in my entire body. Here I'd though that he was a good guy, that he was a supportive brother who did everything for his sister. That him and I could even be close friends. But when he told me things like that... not so much. "How's not being with Alice going to help me?"

He leaned back too. "Like I said, you don't know what we are yet. Maybe it'll change your mind."

"Doubt it." I replied, before checking the next slide. "Telophase."

Edward scribbled the answer on our paper, before his eyes met mine again. "I like you Bella, I think you're good for Alice, you're not some idiot, but- Alice isn't going to advice you to stay away from us, so I feel it's my duty to do so."

The more he talked, the more I realised that he wasn't saying this because he wasn't rooting for us to become a couple, no he was actually warning me to stay away from them. I had a hard time picturing them doing me any harm, but when he said those things, the things that Jacob had said as well, just seemed even more likely...

Were the Cullens... dangerous?

I swallowed loudly and offered Edward a shaky smile. I found it hard to believe that they could be dangerous, I trusted Alice enough to say that she wouldn't hurt me, but... maybe there was something about them that _could_ hurt some_one_.

The image of Alice scaring off the three muggers, that Friday that seemed so long ago, once more entered my mind, and I realised that yes, they could be scary, they could hurt someone. Even my tiny Alice who was so delicate and perfect. She could hurt someone, Edward could hurt someone, even lovable Mrs. Cullen could hurt someone... I was sure of that now. But I was also sure that they wouldn't hurt _me._

Edward flashed his perfect set of white teeth. "Did I scare you?"

I shook my head and turned to the front of the class, where the teacher was getting ready to go through all the slides. Did I mention that I was easy to confuse? Well, mission accomplished once more. I had to talk to Alice... soon.

**x**

I kept sending Jacob texts that day. I knew it seemed kind of desperate and perhaps also odd to my friends (I was never much of a texter), but I needed to _know_. Jacob had from day one told me that the Cullens were dangerous, but that one of them would say so himself, well – now I really needed to know for sure what it was about them, what it was that made them so different.

And like all the other times I'd thought about this, I was sure Jacob would be the answer. So not only did I text him, I tried calling him (there was no response whatsoever). I borrowed Angela's laptop during lunch and sent a bunch of emails all sounding very much like 'Jacob, we need to talk. NOW!'. I was hoping that my obvious desperation would convince him to answer me at some point – no matter who I had 'feelings for'. But it seemed like Jacob was holding out on me; no matter how close friends we used to be. He didn't crave and called me back.

It probably shouldn't have affected me as much as it did, but despite the fact that I really wanted something from him, I also didn't wish to lose him. We might have disagreements (we'd had those plenty of times before), but Jacob was Jacob and losing him was like... losing a family member, the cute younger brother that always made you smile. I couldn't bare it; he was such a huge part of me, and I knew he didn't think we had anything left to discuss since I started liking Alice, but I also knew that we did have something to discuss. We could work past this, I was sure of it!

But my mood was rather horrible for the rest of that day. Apparently Mike hadn't told any of our friends about me and Alice going to the dance together, because Jessica asked me once more who I was going with, and I felt relieved to be sucked into her bubbly teenage world for a good thirty minutes during break. She told me all about how she was going with Mike, talked about dresses and hair and shoes, and I just listened, nodding when I found it appropriate. Dances and everything coming along with them had never been my thing.

"You should come with us," Angela finally said, ignoring Lauren's disapproving face from across the table, "to Port Angeles. We want to go dress shopping soon before everything's gone. You can find one too. You will need one, right?"

Lauren made a face, "Well if she's not got a date, she's not coming to the dance. At least I wouldn't go stag." she paused and offered me a look that said 'Ha, I knew it! No guys really like you. I'm better than you!', before she continued, "What will she need a dress for?"

"Someone will ask her, Lauren. There's plenty of boys who haven't got a date yet." Jessica smiled, and once more, I didn't get her; who did she support? Did she like me, did she not? She was a very confusing, very bubbly girl.

Angela pushed a piece of her hair behind her ear. "Edward Cullen hasn't got a date." she informed them, before she turned to me, and suddenly, I was forced to participate in this conversation, "You're pretty good friends with him, aren't you?"

I didn't have time to answer though, because Jessica – as always – had an observation to share with the rest of us. "Edward Cullen's not free. He always goes with Alice. _Remember_?" she tapped a finger three times to her temple for good measure.

This time, I felt the need to clarify a few things. I mean, I couldn't very well let them sit there and assume things right in front of me, that'd just look stupid afterwards when the dance finally happened, and there I was, very much uhm... dancing. "Actually, Edward's free for this dance." I managed to squeeze out of myself.

Three pairs of eyes landed on me then; Angela's kind, gentle ones (they were always kind and gentle), Jessica's wide ones, excited for new gossip, and Lauren's disbelievingly boring ones. Well, if she didn't want to know, I definitely wasn't forcing her to sit and listen to it!

"How do you mean?" Jessica peeped.

I placed my cell on the table, after having once more checked for a reply from Jacob. "I mean, that Edward's not going with anybody this time. I do think he's coming though. And I can't go dress shopping with you, I've already got plans for dress shopping."

Now Jessica looked absolutely mortified to have been excluded from so much gossip for a while, but Angela was just curious. "Are you going with Alice Cullen?" she whispered, with a glance towards the table, where the other four Cullens sat; it was evident that the missing Cullen did not cause much notice at Forks High – the Cullens didn't do so on a daily basis. At times, it seemed, I was the only one who was completely enthralled with them.

I nodded my head. "Yeah, she said she'd take me dress shopping with Rosalie and Mrs. Cullen."

Lauren glanced towards the mighty blonde at the other table and looked at me then. "Have you talked to – to Rosalie?" she whispered, because apparently, the way I'd just slung out the name was very intimidating and sort of awesome to her. People – obviously – didn't just 'talk' to Rosalie. Which Jessica seemed to agree on, because her eyes were wide as she was sipping her juice box.

I very much wanted to play it cool and say that I had, but that would be a big lie, and at some point they'd all figure out how much the blonde Cullen hated me, and I'd look stupid. So I just said something else. "I'm actually going to the dance with Alice." _There_. Done. I said it, it was out in the open. They'd know at some point anyway.

Jessica's newly sipped juice splurged droplets out of her mouth and onto the table in a very nice cascade. "You're going with _who_?" she screeched.

"Alice." I lightly said. "We thought it'd be nice to go together. After all, we're close friends. She's tired of going with her brother, and I'm not really interested in any of the guys here." I felt the need to explain. Even though it was another lie, because behind all of those very good and very sensible explanations lay the very truth. The truth where I just wanted to go with Alice as real dates, because I had _feelings_ for her.

"Wow!" Jessica breathed out heavily.

Lauren blinked. "So you're not-?"

"I'm not what?" I fired right back at her, faking innocence. Even though I knew exactly what 'what' was.

"You're not... _dating_?"

I felt Angela's eyes on me as I leaned in closer to answer Lauren's question in a whisper to match her voice. "We're not dating."

Lauren leaned back again, clearly relieved. And while Angela's eyes still studied me closely, Jessica started a new speech about how she'd be 'totally cool' with it if did date Alice; how the society should treat gay people better, and not discriminate them as much as it does. And while I completely agreed with her in every aspect of her speech, I wasn't really in the mood for said speech, so instead of listening completely, I reached for my cell phone once more, to text Jacob again.

_Don't ignore me, Jake. _

Send. Huh. If that didn't do the trick, what would? Crap! I was starting to get pretty pathetic with these texts. Actually, I passed pathetic a long time ago and was well on my way to totally desperate. How could he ignore me like that? Didn't fifteen years of friendship mean anything to him?

I really needed to think more clearly, and I couldn't do that with Jessica going on and on about gay rights across from me at the table, so I excused myself to Angela, holding up my phone, and crossed the cafeteria to get outside. I didn't mind that my jacket wasn't there, it was only drizzling outside, and I'd have the overhang to protect me. I opened the glass door and stepped outside, happy to be shutting the rattle of the other students inside behind me.

I knew that I wanted to talk to Jacob for one main reason, with other small, less important, ones following right behind it. But when I felt like this; this unease in the pit of my stomach, there was only one person I _really_ wanted to talk to. One person who'd cheer me up – but it was also the person who was causing some of the confusion I felt. If I could just talk to Alice – we had to talk, didn't we? - everything would seem better somehow. I mean. Of course it wouldn't fix whatever it was I didn't know, but I hated that we'd left last night unsettled between us, loaded with so many questions and maybes. We needed to solve that – didn't we?

Telling myself that it was important we get to talk, I checked my watch. There were ten minutes until the last class of the day – Gym. It was just enough time to call Alice and demand we talk soon. If I got her to listen, maybe we could meet up later, or I could call her when I got home, just something. If I did anything, maybe I wouldn't be as confused as I'd been all day.

I scrolled through my phone quickly to find her name, and before I lost my nerve, I hit the green button and pressed the phone tightly to my right cheek. I glanced inside; Angela was watching me again, but Jessica and Lauren were already consumed in other conversations, not really noticing how I'd left the table. My eyes moved to the Cullens then, where I was surprised to find another pair of eyes watching me – Edward's. He was sending me a very supportive smile (did he know what I was doing?).

Alice picked up after the first ring. "Hello Bella." she sounded as cheerful and happy as always and that really relieved me.

"Hi Alice." I smiled to myself, I couldn't help it. Just the mere thought of her at the other end of the line, it did strange things to my body.

"I'm sorry I wasn't at school today." Alice continued to chip away, sounding as though nothing was wrong and I briefly thought to myself, that maybe I'd been too concerned with something that wasn't even there. "I had to talk to my parents. Carlisle has the day off."

I scratched my foot in the ground as I answered her, "Oh. It's okay. I was just... worried, I guess."

Alice giggled with her bell-like voice, and I felt that maybe we could actually discuss what happened as two grown-up people. "You didn't need to be, Bella!"

"Can we talk about last night then?" I breathed into the phone, my heart thumping slightly quicker than normally, just by the brief thought of what had almost occurred. I couldn't help it, my heart swelled up.

Only to be cut in half when Alice was reluctant to answer. Actually. She didn't say a word at all.

I cleared my throat, already feeling defeated. "Alice..."

She breathed out too. "I can't talk about it, Bella, I don't wanna talk about it."

"But Alice!" I objected, and I refused to cry this time; those angry-tears, they always got the best of me. But I wasn't gonna. Not in front of the entire student body, I wouldn't do it. "We _have_ to talk about it. Don't tell me you didn't feel the things that I did, Alice."

Alice was silent again, apparently refusing to humour me, since she did not want to 'talk about it'.

"Look Alice," I firmly said, because we were going to talk about it – Goddamnit! - no matter what she said! I refused to butt off until we discussed this like the two mature people, that I knew we were. If we were mature enough to actually end in a situation that needed discussion, we were fucking mature enough to discuss it too! "there's two options here. Either we talk, or..." I let my voice trail off for good measure, "or I come to your house after school."

"..."

"I know where you live now. I drove you home last night." I cleverly informed her. "_Remember_?" I added, and I had been in front of her, I would've done the same temple-tapping-thing that Jessica had done earlier. But now I only had my tone of voice to do it, so I tried pulling that off as well as possible. And I wasn't beyond driving out there, it wasn't like I was faking it right now. I was going to drive out there if she didn't talk.

And apparently the thought of me turning up on her doorstep did a few things to her. "We'll talk, Bella!" she quickly said, sounding slightly distressed (which pleased me). "Look, I'll pick you up tomorrow – early – we'll drive to school, we'll be there early, we'll talk. I just don't have time for this today, okay?"

Knowing that this was as good as I was going to get it, I agreed, "Alright. I'll see you tomorrow, Alice."

The other end went dead and I breathed out heavily. As much as I liked Alice (and I liked her a lot), this was really annoying. I suddenly saw what Edward moaned about when he called Alice the annoying sister. She surely wasn't a sister to me, but she could be annoying. I turned to enter the cafeteria again, to gather my things before Gym, but stopped when I found that the entire Cullen table (missing one very essential Cullen) was watching me.

I gave them a satisfied smile (that had better tick Rosalie remotely off), before entering the cafeteria again. I didn't know what it was with me today, but I was feeling bolder than usually. If I could get Alice to talk to me, I could get Jacob to talk to me too. The question was just... _how_. I mean, my persuasive ways hadn't been, well, persuasive, so far, so I guess I'd have to figure something else out at some point.

As I reached for my book bag back at the table, my eyes landed on Lauren; everybody was getting up to get to class, including her, but I stopped. An idea suddenly hit me. "Hey Lauren..."

She paused and looked a me, a sour expression on her face. "What?"

"Didn't you say something about you meeting some of the Quileute boys a while back?" I quickly questioned her, moving around the table, to stand in front of her. I didn't want the entire cafeteria to hear this particular part of our conversation.

Lauren shifted awkwardly on her feet. "Yeah, I was uhm.. I was hanging with them a while back. Me and my brother were."

I knew it! I remember her mentioning the Quileutes a couple of days (or was it weeks?) ago. This was exactly what I needed, if just _she_ had what I needed. "Who were you hanging out with?" I dared to ask her.

Her eyes shifted over mine briefly. "I went out a couple of times with Quil Ateara. I thought he was very cute, until... well, until he started... _changing_."

She could have gone out with any of the boys from the reservation, any of them! Even some of those I didn't know, who didn't hang with Jacob, but of all people... For once I would forgive myself for actually liking Lauren. She did have taste if she'd dated Quil. And he was exactly the friend of Jacob's that I was most likely to get a hold of. He liked me, I know he did. I smiled at her. "Do you happen to still have his cell phone number... or home number? Anything?"

She squeezed her eyes together and looked at me with suspicion, and just like that, me liking her was over. It'd lasted for a total of thirty seconds, and I was sure that that was as much as I was ever going to feel happy in her presence. "What? Why do you need it?"

"It's just-" I bid myself off. I had to lie now, and I had to be convincing. _Do it for Alice and yourself, Bella, come on! _I begun pep-talking myself, and offered Lauren the sweetest smile possible. "It's just, you know, eh, my friend... Jacob Black? Well, I've been trying to call him, but – but his phone's not in, in service, so-I'm-just-thinking it's-broken-or-something..." I trailed off, shrugging my shoulders. "So instead of uhm, of driving all the way out there to see if he's OK, I'd rather just call him through Quil." I finished, pleased with myself. That had been a pretty good lie. _I think she's buying it. _

Lauren did not look like she believed me completely, but she grabbed the phone out of my hands, and quickly scrolled through her own as well. Typing in some digits, she handed it back to me. "Here you go." she said, and with a swing of her hair, she'd left me alone in the cafeteria.

Realising that I was very late for Gym, I hurried right behind her.

**x**

Before I drove my car home from school that day, I sent Quil a rather long text (it confused me, but I hoped he could make some sense of it) about Jacob and I, and the fight he'd been witness to himself. Quil had always had an odd pleasure in teasing me, and I was sure it was because he thought I was pretty cool and a good friend for Jacob. I didn't know him too well, but I knew him enough to be pretty confident about him wanting us to be friends still – no matter which other friends I had.

I parked my car in the driveway and saw that my father was already home. I guess he'd been right this morning when he said that the wolves had moved towards the Canadian border. If they were still trying to catch them, he wouldn't be home right now. I placed my book bag on the floor in the hallway and entered the kitchen; I knew that there were fish in the freezer and if I fried them and cooked some rice, my father would be thrilled. He wouldn't even want to eat the salad I would make, but I'd force him to do it anyway.

"Hi Dad!" I called to him; the TV was on in the living room, as he was doing what he liked the best; relaxing and watching sports.

There was only a grunt for an answer, so I started making dinner, eager to get it over with, so I could get upstairs and bother Quil once more, if he hadn't answered me at this point. Maybe I'd even try Jacob again. I found myself to be oddly focused on this task now that I had resolved things with Alice and knew that I was speaking to her tomorrow morning.

Dinner was quickly over, and after we ate, I scurried to my room to do today's homework. Quil had not answered me, so I tried both him and Jacob once more (with no responses). I had a lot of homework tonight, so it took me all evening; I had to do Biology and Maths and even worse, American History, which just made me want to punch something. Thirty pages of reading with questions to answer (just to make sure that we all did – in fact – read the thirty pages).

Around ten o'clock I had to finish for the day, because I also needed to have a quick shower before going to bed. I was too lazy to shower in the morning, and if I were going to spend a long time alone with Alice, I wanted to make sure that I didn't smell weird. Stepping into the steaming shower, I quickly smelled my hair. I'd have to shampoo it. Twice.

If showers helped some people relax, I really envied them! I always found it hard to calm down in the showers; sure it was lovely to just stand there beneath the water and let it cascade around me, but it gave me plenty of time to think about things. Things that I wouldn't have been musing over if I'd been reading or studying. No, showers weren't good for me like that, so I liked to keep them as short as possible.

Water, shampoo, water, soap, water, and... lovely fussy towel. I dried myself off and dressed in my cosy sleepwear; my old, worn t-shirt and a long pair of sweatpants. I didn't bother drying my hair completely, instead I just tied it into a messy bun. It'd be hell trying to comb it tomorrow, but I didn't care; I wanted to sleep! The lack of sleep from last night was really getting to me, and I was surprised I'd even lasted this long.

I dumped my dirty clothes in the laundry basket and went down the hallway and into my room. I turned on my bedside lamp and got ready to tuck myself into my warm bed, but before doing so I just _had to_ check my cell phone to see if I'd gotten a response from either Jacob or Quil. How shocked do you think I was when I found that I had?

From Quil. _Look out your window. _

Sprinting from my bed, I tore my window open and leaned outside. Right there, on the grass beneath my window tree, sat Quil and... Embry? I'd clearly been hoping for Jacob, but at least I was getting some response, so this was better than nothing. I knew I had to be careful not to alarm Charlie, so I didn't shout at them. "What are you doing here?" I hissed. I was happy to see them, I wanted to talk, but – all that couldn't be done right now. I was supposed to go to sleep!

Quil and Embry stood up when they realised that I was there. "Can we come in?" Quil asked me.

I shook my head. "No! I'm not allowed to have visitors right now. Charlie is still up. We'll have to talk tomorrow."

Embry ignored me. "We're coming up."

"We're just not using the door." Quil added, before he – very athletically, I might add – swung himself into the tree in front of my window, and started making his way towards the branch that ended a good few inches away from the windowsill. He almost looked like a cat as he crawled like that.

"Are you crazy? You can't get in like this!" I gaped at them, but Embry had already followed Quil into the tree, and they were both ignoring me.

Before I knew how it really happened, Quil had swung himself from the branch and into my bedroom, Embry following right after. They landed on top of each other on the floor with a huge thud, and I hissed at them again as they laughed. I had to hear if Charlie was moving... but all I could make out was the sound coming from the TV. We were good.

I took a seat on my bed and gave them both a look that clearly referred to the first thing I said when I saw them: What the hell were they doing here?

Embry leaned himself against the windowsill, and it became clear to me, that he did not really want to be here, that he was only present because Quil had wanted to come and Embry had felt obliged to join him. Quil though, took a seat on my desk chair and scooted across the floor, so he sat right in front of me.

I raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing there?"

It felt like the billionth time I'd said that since I saw them outside my house.

"How about 'thanks for answering my texts'?" Quil mocked me, and suddenly I got this very weird feeling that this visit wasn't all that pleasant.

I shifted uncomfortably on the bed.

Quil breathed in deeply. "Bella, we wanted to come to you to tell you to stop harassing Jake." he paused, and I blinked. "He doesn't wanna talk to you, and your texts are annoying the hell out of him. Now, he doesn't have the heart to tell you this because you guys used to be friends, but after you also texted me today, well... Embry and I just felt the need to do something about it. Just leave him alone."

There were so many things wrong with those sentences, and my eyes almost popped out of my head when he finished. He told me to stop harassingJacob? I'd done no such thing! I'd simply _requested_ (maybe _a bit_ too many times...) that he answer me. What was wrong with that? It's simple human interactiveness that people respect each other enough to answer one another. I wouldn't have 'harassed' him if he'd just answered me. Then my texting would have been limited to one text, before it simply turned into a conversation. I couldn't seem to figure out what the problem was with that.

And then they had the _nerve_ to come here to tell me that? Should I really just take it and just sit here and listen to them? I'd taken so much crap from Jacob himself, and now Quil (who I'd always thought was cool) was sitting here in front of me, telling me to back off... That really pissed me off!

Embry crossed his arms. "You get the picture?" he questioned me, while he didn't even have the curtsey to look me in the eye.

I felt my jaw clench even tighter than it had been as I'd listened to everything Quil had to say. Man, those Quileute boys had a nag for getting me mad! "If Jake was a real friend, he'd answer me. No matter if friends are disagreeing, they should always be there for each other."

"I don't think Jake thinks of himself as your friend anymore." Quil told me. At least he could look at me as we were talking, Embry was just finding my bare walls very interesting at this very moment.

I crossed my ankles and said, "I will get Jacob to talk to me at some point!" I argued back, because now I was going to stand up for myself and not just sit there like some defenceless girl. I had a point to prove! "We've known each other for ages. And despite what he might say to you – he misses me, I know he does."

Quil just shook his head at me. "You're dreaming, Bella. It's not gonna happen."

I pointed my finger, "There's the door... uhm, window."

And with that being said, Quil and Embry jumped right back out the way they came up, muttering to themselves about me while shaking their heads. I snapped the window shut as soon as they were in the tree, closing my drapes with a huff. Even if I was a little proud of myself for standing up to them, I couldn't help it – I was _pissed_!

* * *

_I'm so very sorry for the disrespectfully long delay! I had a good time in Greece, but when I got home, I found it very hard to get back into the universe of my story. We also had a death in the family (and I sprained my ankle), so I've had a lot going on. I do apologise if this chapter seems a bit off – I'll try to work the kinks out when writing the next part. _

_Thank you very much for all the kind reviews I'm receiving from you guys! I really appreciate it :) and I do try to get back at you all personally, so I apologise if I sometimes miss a few of you. I changed my summary - but only a little. Thanks to everyone who got back to me on that. _

_**Disclaimer; **I don't own Twilight. _


	9. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**

A night's sleep wasn't enough to rid me from all the anxiousness I felt for having to talk to Alice. It was going to be wonderful to have talked it out, sure, but actually having to do it? Not so much. And the added fact that I was royally pissed off right before I went to bed, just didn't help either. I was still just as pissed the next morning, when I tried to figure out what the hell to wear. I hadn't done the laundry, so that was a task very hard for a girl who usually didn't care what she wore. But now? I'd have to dig something out of the dirty clothes that _wasn't _dirty.

Mission accomplished.

So, alright. Now I just had to grab a bite to eat and wait for Alice to get here. I was trying hard not to think of Quil and Embry and what they had said last night, and even though I knew Jacob hadn't sent them there to talk to me (because I knew he'd never stoop that low), I couldn't help but be pissed at him too. If he'd had the guts to answer my calls, Quil and Embry wouldn't even have had to pay me that visit.

I grabbed my bowl of cereal and took it with me to my room. Alice was going to be here any minute, and my father was leaving soon. I didn't know if she'd prefer to talk to me here or if she just wanted to go ahead and drive to school, but anything would flow with me, I just wanted us to settle things between us. Not that there was much to 'settle', I simply just... wanted to make sure that things weren't awkward between us, that we were good.

I placed my bowl on my night stand and threw myself backwards onto my bed with my eyes closed. I breathed out deeply and rubbed my face. When did my life suddenly get so complicated? I mean, before I got here, everything was simple and normal back in Phoenix, and suddenly- suddenly everything just seemed to be different from what I'd thought; my entire life had just changed. And it had all begun to happen the second I'd laid eyes on Alice.

But maybe I just needed to stop thinking so much about everything. Maybe it'd be better if I just stopped? Perhaps it'd work out in its own good time if I didn't try to figure it out. Things do take time, as one says. Maybe that was what I needed to let them. The things, I mean. I should let the things take their own good time.

"Knock-knock."

I lifted my head from the soft mattress to find Alice poking her head through the crack between my door and the doorway. She had a soft smile on her face, and I couldn't help the butterflies that quickly started fluttering in my stomach. I sat up straight.

She pushed the door open. "Can I come in?"

I patted the spot next to me on the bed. "Please do." I mumbled, before I reached for my bowl of cereal. When I'd retrieved it, she was already sitting next to me, and I lifted the spoon to my mouth. "I'd offer you some," I munched, "if I didn't already know you'd say no, because apparently – Alices don't eat. Or should I just say Cullens in general, because when I think about it, neither of you ever eat, like ever."

Alice fluttered her eyelashes at me. "Your father let me in. He was just leaving. He says 'good day' by the way."

I nodded to recognize what she was saying, but I was too busy slurping my food down to answer.

She watched me for a few seconds then, while I finished my cereal. I could feel her beautiful eyes on me, but I didn't want to look at her. I determinedly stared straight ahead while I ate. And when I was done, I really wanted to do the immature, gross thing, where I lift the bowl to my lips and drink the rest of the milk that way, but I couldn't get myself to do it, even if I wanted to annoy her, badly. Apparently my anger from last night was now directed toward Alice.

I dropped the bowl to my lap and kept it there.

"You know I do wanna tell you, right?" she mumbled next to me, her soft voice floating through the room in ways that shouldn't be allowed when I wanted to be mad at her. "Bella?" she whispered, her breath tickling my skin as she leaned in closer. "Bella, would you look at me?"

I turned my eyes to meet hers.

A small smile could be seen on her face. "You're right," she said and reached for the bowl in my lap, "we don't eat. At least not something you – a _human_ – would consider food." she sniffed the milk in the bowl and made a face. After that she placed it on the floor in front of us.

"Is that why you got scared the other night?" I whispered, my eyes settling on her red lips as I remembered what had almost happened between us. "Is it because you're not human, that you don't wanna get so close to me?"

She breathed in deeply as I leaned in closer.

"_Alice_," I firmly said, "did you tell Edward to say to me that your family is dangerous?"

Her topaz eyes went wide for a second as she took in what I'd just said. For a second I was worried I might just have gotten Edward into big trouble with his sister, but then she laughed and shook her head. Not getting what was so funny at all, I leaned away from her again and decided that if she was going to laugh at me, it'd be more efficient to stay mad at her. "No Bella!" she giggled, "That's all Edward's doing – it's _so_ like him!"

I felt my shoulders loosen a little. "So you don't want me to stay away from you?" I whispered to her.

"Bella... of course not!" she whispered as she reached a hand out to gently touch my cheek. By now, I'd gotten so use to the coldness of her skin that I didn't even flinch when she touched me. "I could never stay away from you, and I don't want you to stay away from me. Edward's just... Edward. I don't even have the heart to be mad at him – I would have expected this. But I will tell Esme."

I couldn't help but chuckle. "And she'll be mad at him. He already told me that."

She giggled again. "See, he knows what's coming to him!"

My fingers automatically went to rest upon hers on my cheek. "But is it true, Alice?" I swallowed then, "Is it true what they say? Are you..." I couldn't get the words across my lips because I _knew_ they weren't. I knew it! They wouldn't hurt me, never.

Alice shook her head, her short hair whipping from side to side along with it. "We're not gonna hurt you, Bella, not that you ever thought we would."

I smiled. I had known this all along, so I didn't feel relieved. A part of me was actually a bit more scared with myself, because I knew that even if she'd said that they could, possibly, hurt me, I wouldn't have stayed away anyway.

"But Bella," she firmly said, her eyes now locking with mine, as our hands dropped from my face. "I cannot tell you our secret. There are certain... rules." she paused, and I could tell that she really wanted me to know. "I could tell you, I could, but – I really don't want to risk my family getting in trouble, not because of _me_. But if you found out for yourself, well, it wouldn't be my fault, now would it?"

I nodded. I could see that that made sense, I really could. It was confirmed now that there really was something, and that she wanted me to know – I just had to figure out how to find out. "I have a way – I think." I mumbled, and once more, Jacob was back in my thoughts. I knew it was stupid that I kept on thinking of him, wanting to make up with him, because truth been told, he'd been a lousy friend these past couple of weeks. But! _But I still need him. _

Alice's face lit up in surprise. "You do? How?"

"You know my friend, Jacob Black?" I questioned her.

She raised an eyebrow. "The jerk you've been fighting with? Can't say I know him personally, don't really know who he is." she looked particularly angry right now, and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "All I know is that you've been obsessed with making up with him."

I sighed, "Well I think he might be able to help me with this."

She sniffed. "I think you're pass the point where you just want to make up with him because of something, Bella," she firmly said, not daring to lock her eyes with mine. "I think you only keep doing it because you want to annoy him and you know it does."

I just stared at her with complete disbelief. I could not believe she'd just said that. Was she really willing to stoop so low? And for what did she stoop, exactly? She didn't know Jacob, as far as I knew, they'd never met. How could she have a problem with him if she didn't know who he is? Was she – I almost didn't dare to think this – jealous?

"How on Earth would he be able to help you with this anyway?" she asked me.

I couldn't help but smile at her. "Alice – are you worried I'm going to like him as more than a friend or something?"

She just glared at me.

"You are!" I gasped, and she looked away. I reached a hand out to grab hers and pulled it to my lap. Why she'd be jealous because of Jacob, I didn't get. She should know how much I liked her by now; I didn't hide that, I never had. Since day one I'd been pretty open about how much she'd quickly come to mean to me. "Alice, you silly girl..." I whispered and pulled her close, forcing her into my arms (though she didn't really resist), "Don't worry about those things. I like you, I thought you knew that."

The pixie mumbled something inaudible into my shirt.

"What?" I questioned and loosened my arms.

She pulled back with a questionable look. "I really like being hugged by you, but Bella, what is that awful smell you've got on you? I swear, it smells like wet dog or something!" she pinched her nose with her pointer finger and her thumb.

I sniffed my hair and shrugged my shoulders. To me, I just smelled like I always did after I hung out at the reservation.

"Are we good though?" Alice whispered to me and combed her fingers though my messy hair that was still tangled in knots after my shower last night.

I smiled warmly at her. "We're good. And I'll let you know once I figure this out."

"Believe me," Alice said with a determined look in her eyes; a look that also held a certain glint, "I think I'll know when you do. Maybe even before."

**x **

I didn't try to get a hold of Jacob, because after all, he'd been trying to give me a message, and it was pretty much received by now. Instead, I tried some of my other methods in the search for knowledge; the internet, the library and book stores. But I always came up empty handed. I wasn't about to give up though, there had to be a way to find out more about this. Alice had said that they didn't eat, at least not 'human' food – which led me to wonder: What did they eat?

I tried searching that, but nothing came up. I was almost prepared to believe anything at this point. Before moving here, I'd thought that the world was as it appeared to be; that everything we knew, was everything there was. But now I had to disagree with those old thoughts. There was something more, something else entirely. And Alice was a part of this. And since it wasn't something usual, I pretty soon started believing that maybe I wasn't going to find the answers in some books, I was going to have to be creative when searching.

Which wasn't something I was naturally good at.

Therefore I hit a brick wall, and even if I was desperate to find out about this, about Alice, I didn't know what my next move was going to be. I could feel something though, within my fingertips, all around me. It felt like change was coming, and I could only hope that it would benefit me. Sometimes, it felt as though I had the thing in the back of my mind, but that I just needed to get the right clue for it to pop back out clearly. But no matter what I searched and what I asked Alice about, it never did.

So I decided to forget about it for a while and focus on school and my friends. Alice and I saw each other every day of the week and we'd often hang out afterwards and do homework, but the weekends she spent with her family doing whatever Cullens do. So I actually got to hang out a bit more with Angela and my other friends as well. We went to the movies and it actually felt nice to get everything pushed away from me for a while. Sometimes, I even caught myself thinking that maybe everything I thought that I'd experienced was just my imagination, because when I hung out with my other friends, it just seemed completely silly.

But then I saw Alice again, and I just knew I wasn't making it up. It was clear to me that they were something else, and why no one else had noticed – well, that'd be their problem.

It wasn't until a few weeks later, that I actually thought about Jacob, Alice, and the legends again. Charlie returned one Saturday afternoon from a day-long fishing trip with Billy and Harry Clearwater, and that was when it hit me: Maybe Billy had told Charlie more than Jacob had told me. Which of course, wouldn't be weird at all, since they'd been best friends since they were young. My father had always lived in this town; he'd known Billy Black since they were fourteen.

I offered Charlie to help him clean the fishes to get them ready for the freezer, so we stood there, shoulder by shoulder, gutting fishes in the small scullery at the back entrance of the house. We worked in silence for a few minutes while I pondered how to ask him this. Maybe it'd be better if I played the interested daughter, though it'd take a while longer. If I got something out of him now, I could still manage to see Jacob before getting home to cook a late dinner.

"Hey Dad..." I begun.

Charlie grunted in response.

I chuckled. I loved that we never had to say much to each other. "You've known Billy Black for a long time, haven't you?"

"We met when we were young. We've been best friends ever since." my father informed me, keeping his eyes straight on the trout he was cutting open.

I was happy that I didn't have to do that, that I was in charge of just cleaning the fish. "Oh."

Charlie smiled at me. "Why do you ask?"

I shrugged my shoulders and absent-mindedly stuck my hands into the bowl of water in front of me. "It's because there's something Jacob's not telling me. We've been..." I was hesitant to use the word 'fighting' here, because I knew it was going to sound wrong and give my father the impression that perhaps Jacob was more than just my friend, "...disagreeing. He's so changed, and he won't tell me why. He says it has something to do with their legends."

Charlie made a small whistle. "I see."

"So I'm just wondering -" I begun, but paused to take in a deep breath. This was harder than I'd thought it would be; I hate doing this to my father, I hate twisting something out of him. "-did Billy ever tell you about the legends?"

"Sure he did." Charlie turned his head to the side and smiled at me with a glint in his eye, "He always talked about them when we were young. He laughed and made fun of them. None of the Quileutes believe in those legends anymore. They're just old stories."

_Except to Jacob, they're not. To him they're very, very real. _"I see."

"Bells, if you're having problems with Jacob, I think you should just drive down to La Push and talk to him about it." Charlie continued to suggest.

I dropped the fish I was holding into the water and dried off my hands in the towel next to me on the table. For some reason, when my father put it like that, it just made total sense. Why not just drive down there so we could discuss this, face to face? Of course the last time I was there, it didn't end so well, but that didn't necessarily mean that I couldn't try my luck again. "Dad-" I begun, "-would it be OK if I took a rain check on these fish and drove down to the reservation right now?"

Charlie didn't have to say anything, he simply just smiled at me, and motioned with his hands that I was free to go.

Had I been any normal teenage girl, I probably would have cleaned myself off after I'd been dealing with dead fish, but I wasn't, so I just grabbed my keys and my raincoat from the house, before I hurried outside and into my truck. Fumbling with the keys in the ignition, I prayed that my baby would turn on before I lost my nerve. Fortunately for me, it did, so I quickly backed out of the driveway and turned my car in the opposite direction of the city – toward the forest.

The truck desperately needed fuel, but I could tell that it was most likely going to be able to drive me all the way out there and home, so I didn't mind the red flashing from the dashboard. Such old cars always claimed to be needing gas a long time before they actually did. I just stared straight ahead and was happy that the rain wasn't falling too heavy on this afternoon.

I realised that driving down there could or could not cause me more problems with Jacob (and Alice probably wouldn't be too thrilled either, for some reason – she got really pissed off whenever he was brought up), so I actually didn't really want to drive down to La Push. It wouldn't be a pleasant visit, but it had to be done. I had to fix this with him, for both our sakes. And also, for my own sake, because evidently, it was the only way I could figure out what it was about Alice that I didn't know. Plus, I was going to be the bigger person here and forgive him for everything that went down between us the last time I visited. He'd have to be cool with this, really.

The road to La Push seemed shorter than usual, which was probably because I felt more nervous than usually. Much too soon I turned onto the small road that lead into the reservation. Small houses were scattered here and there in the woods, but as I took a left turn, I came onto the dirt road and was in the centre of the little village. I didn't know whether or not if Jacob was home, but it was probably the first place I needed to look for him. It was around supper time, so maybe he was trying to eat everything in the house.

I stopped my truck in front of the small tree house, and had to take a deep breath to calm myself, before I opened the car and hopped outside. Walking around the car, I was on the first step onto the porch when a voice caught my attention. There, on a bench further down the road, were Jacob, Quil and Embry, hanging out.

Turning around on my heel, I went straight toward them. There was no way that I was chickening out of this now that I was actually here, even if I felt more like it with each step I took. I would definitely had preferred it, if Quil and Embry had not been present during what was about to happen, but now that they were, then so be it. I had to do this.

Jacob's eyes met mine when I was a few feet away from them. They all turned to look at me, Quil and Embry towering behind him as his personal bodyguards. I bit my lip. "Jake, hey." I said and nodded towards his friends. "Quil, Embry, long time no see."

It was clear that they hadn't told Jacob about their little visit to my place a couple of weeks ago, and it was fine with me if we kept it that way.

"What are you doing here?" Jacob asked me, and his eyes shot lightnings. Though there was also a part of him – I could so clearly see so – that was happy to see me again. He'd changed even more though, since I was last here. It seemed to me that he was even bigger, that his muscles were even stronger.

I stopped right in front of him. "We need to talk, Jacob."

He licked his lips. "I have nothing to say to you."

"Don't think about what you assumed the last time I was here," I said, decided it was better to humour him if I wanted to get anything out of him today, "I've decided to forget about it, it's in the past."

"But it's so clearly _not_." he fired right back at me.

I sighed. "OK, so you've decided to be a jerk again, I can handle that."

This seemed to get to him somehow, because he shifted lightly on his feet. "Bella, there's nothing for us to talk about. You need to get that straight."

I took a step closer to him; I wasn't going to back down. No matter which act he decided to put up for show tonight, I wasn't going to go home empty-handed. "For some messed up reason, you seem to be mad at me. That's OK," I said to him, shrugging my shoulders. If for whatever reason he wanted to stay mad at me, he could do that too, I just still had to ask him to tell me something, "but I do need you to tell me about those old legends, Jake. It's important."

His jaw clenched tightly. "Can't. They're secret for a reason, Bella."

"Well, your father obviously told mine when they were our age!" I argued right back, clenching my keys tightly in my fist. "Why can't you tell me too!"

"Back then, it didn't matter." Embry hissed from behind him.

"Back then, we weren't... we weren't changing." Quil finished, a comforting hand on Jacob's shoulder.

I breathed in deeply. I could see that this was a sore subject for them; that it bothered all three of these tough boys. I could see it in their eyes – but mostly, I could see it in Jacob's. If it was only because I knew him better than the other two, or if it was because it actually bothered him the most, I didn't know. But I could see that it really did. "...changing?" I whispered. I wanted to know, but I was afraid to know.

Jacob opened his mouth to reply back to me, and for one faithful second right there, I really thought that he was going to tell me what all this was about; why everything seemed so messed up in Forks, Washington. But he didn't get that far – just like the other day, we were interrupted by Sam Uley, who hollered Jacob's name in a stern voice from down the street.

"_Jacob_! Don't you dare say a word."

Jacob shot me an apologetic smile, and it almost felt as if we were back to normal. Maybe he really wanted us to still be friends, maybe he figured, if I really did know about these legends, I would stay away from Alice, just like he wished I would. I knew that wasn't true, but I didn't want to burst his bobble. Especially not now when I had him shoving smiles in my face so abruptly.

Sam and the rest of the clan had made their way toward us while I'd been sharing secret looks with Jacob, and they were now huddled together a few inches from Jacob, Quil, Embry and I.

"You can't tell her, dude." Paul shook his head in his usual negative manner.

My eyes locked with Jared's for a brief second.

"Sam," Jacob said, glancing at me again, "if she knew, it'd be so much easier. It'd – it'd make her understand why she needs to stay away from them, it'll all make sense to her. Don't you see?"

Quil decided to help out a brother. "It's true, Sam, I really do think it'd help."

But Sam was strongly firm in his beliefs. "It's not like you imprinted on her, Jake, you can't tell her."

_Imprinted? What the fuck? _

"But Sam... she's gotta know. It's the only way!" Jacob argued right back. I could see that he was desperate; desperate to make up with me, desperate to protect me from whatever treat he was convinced the Cullens were to me. He was desperate to be my friend, to have me love him again, like when we were young. He'd probably been sure – right before I got here – that we were going to be like that again, but with everything that had happened, he'd realised that we weren't.

"No." Sam said, giving me a hard stare, "She shouldn't even be out here. She's on our territory, and we can't even protect her – what wouldn't they say? We can't tell her about our stories, when she's fraternising with the enemy."

Jacob's fists clenched at his sides; it was clear to everyone that he was getting very upset with them. "But our stories are their stories! She'll know anyway!"

Paul snorted. "Then why haven't the Cullens told her themselves? They probably don't want her to know. _We_ don't want her to know. It works out for the best that way anyway!" he glared at me, and took a threatening step in my direction, "She should just get the fuck out of this reservation before someone gets hurt!"

And before I even knew what had happened, Jacob had shoved me right in the stomach, which caused me to fly backwards and land on the hard ground, with the air being kicked out of me. There was a huge turmoil in front of me; Jacob was growling at Paul, and while Sam and Jared was trying to hold him back, Quil and Embry had backed away from Jacob, clearly not wanting to get caught in the middle of this.

"Jacob, control your temper!" Sam hollered at him, but this only seemed to get him even more angry, because he lounged forward, taking a leap into the air, and midway, as he was flying over the ground, suddenly, there was no Jacob Black anymore – a huge wolf landed on the ground in front of another wolf, who stood where Paul had been standing just a few seconds before.

I felt my eyes go wide as Sam watched me from where him and Jared had backed away from the two wolves; they were growling at each other, and I couldn't take my eyes away from them. The one – the Jacob wolf, because that was the only explanation I could come up with, as weird as it sounded – had a nice brown colour, whereas the Paul wolf weren't nearly as pretty. Plus, the Jacob wolf really was much bigger.

I almost jumped into the air from where I was on the ground, when the two wolves jumped at each other, and the Jacob wolf chased the Paul wolf into the woods right behind us. My eyes followed them every step of the way, and as soon as they were gone, I'd almost convinced myself that what I'd seen, hadn't happened.

Shaking madly, I got onto my feet.

"Quil, Embry!" Sam ordered, pointing at me, "Take her to Emily's – we'll go separate them."

And when I was almost certain things couldn't get any weirder, Jared and Sam morphed into giant wolves as well, following right behind Jacob and Paul. I rubbed my eyes and turned to the last two Quileute boys in my presence.

I swallowed loudly. "You too?"

Quil shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah. You know our secret now, though I don't think Sam will be too happy about it."

Embry added. "We'll wait at Emily's – they'll come to talk to you when they've... calmed down."

I followed the two boys through the reservation toward Emily's house. All the while, I just walked right behind them, not looking where I was going; thousands of thoughts were running through my mind instead. I couldn't get the picture of Jake, morphing into a giant wolf, out of my mind; one second, he'd been the friend I'd known since we were kids, the next second, he'd towered over the rest of us, covered in fur, with giant paws. And the sound as he'd been running... it was crazy, the way the entire ground had seemed to shake beneath him as he ran, chasing Paul into the woods.

I could not believe what I'd just seen, even though a slight part of me... wasn't so surprised. I'd been, well, let's say, almost certain that Alice was something more, that she wasn't just ordinary in the human aspect, so why would it be any different with Jacob? I'd seen him change right before me, grow from an awkward teenager into something so different. And if Alice could be something out of this world, then why couldn't he? Even though I'd, just a few months back, never though that anything like this did even exist, I found that I actually wasn't that far from believing it really did.

Maybe I'd wake up in my bed to find out that this had all been one long, very vivid, dream, or maybe I'd not. Maybe this really had happened, and maybe there was more between Heaven and Earth that what we humans thought.

We'd reached Emily's house at this point, but she wasn't surprised to see me there. She'd probably witnessed the entire thing from her windows; I had a feeling that she always knew exactly what Sam was doing – that they just had that kind of a relationship. She didn't welcome me inside with a smile on her face as she did the last time, instead, I took a seat on her front porch, Quil sitting right next to me on the top step.

"They'll only be a couple of minutes." he told me; I could see that he tried to be friendly with me, that he was hoping that all this was going to make things easier between me and Jacob, and therefore he wouldn't be caught in the middle once again.

I breathed in sharply. "I don't get this." I moaned, clutching my head tightly. "You're – wolves?"

Emily said, "Actually, they're called werewolves. They're from the old Quileute legends, from back when-"

Embry cut her off with a light cough.

This caused an awkward silence for a few seconds.

Quil cleared his throat. "We do prefer to call ourselves shape shifters, though." he proudly announced.

I let my hands fall into my lap. Werewolves? Shape shifters? Gah! This entire thing was so confusing! What happened to just being human? I shook my head. "So it's you guys who's been parading around the woods, leaving giant foot prints?" I questioned them.

Embry couldn't help but laugh. "I wouldn't say we were parading, but we have been patrolling the woods, yeah."

"Wait a minute!" I gasped, as a horrible, nasty thought entered my brain. Not only had there been giant wolves in the forest; they'd been scaring hikers and the police had been searching for them (_Charlie_ had been searching for them!), but there'd been attacks too. Hikers had been... killed. "But you've been killing people! Those hikers... they were – they were murdered!"

Quil and Embry laughed, and this time, Emily joined them as well. I just gaped at them. I was being deeply serious, and I was mortified with concern... and they were _laughing_? What the fuck was so funny! I didn't find this situation funny at all! Now I was torn between turning in the entire reservation or letting innocent lives be taken. _What to do, what to do?_ "Stop laughing at me!" I whined.

"You think we're killing people?"

Emily, Quil and Embry stopped laughing, as we all turned to find Jacob, Sam, Paul and Jared approaching us. They all looked fine, but Paul had an ugly cut down his cheek. Sam joined Emily on the porch and kissed her warmly, while Paul and Jared leaned themselves against the railing.

I shrugged my shoulders. "What did you expect me to think? My father's been hunting you, Jake."

"We're not the ones killing people." Jacob informed me, and this was being said to me in a you-should-have-known-that-voice (which really bothered me, by the way). "We're trying to protect you guys from being killed by the real dangers out there."

I blinked at him. "The real dangers? You mean there's something out there worse than supernatural creatures like werewolves?"

"Shape shifters!" Quil butted in.

Jared hit him on the head. "Of course there is, Bella, it's all in the legends. One day you'll hear them, I'm sure that can be arranged. Now you know our secret after all."

I offered him a warm smile. I'd only first met him the last time I was here, but we were getting along just great. He was always in such a good mood compared to other Quileute boys I knew. "But then," I paused as my eyes travelled over each of their faces, "what are you protecting us from? What's hurting us?"

"I think you should take her for a walk, Jacob." Sam said, his eyes locking firmly with Jacob's brown ones.

Jacob nodded and reached a hand out to mine. Staring at it for a few seconds, I wondered how this particular walk and conversation was going to turn out, but I knew I couldn't not go. So I grabbed his hand, and let him pull me to my feet. He released my hand immediately, and turned around on his heel, walking down the dirt road, towards his house. I followed right after, running to catch up with him.

"Bella." he begun, as he slowed his speed, so I didn't have to run to keep up with him. I watched him as he walked, his eyes strictly on the road, and I couldn't forget how he'd looked when he was that wolf; I still had troubles really believing that he had been the wolf. But I also knew that it was the truth – after all, I had seen it with my own eyes, hadn't I? He blinked. "I'm going to tell you something, and once I do, everything that I've said to you before will make much more sense."

I had a feeling the the way he'd been acting lately was solely because of this. Apparently I was right.

"Us shape shifters only have one true enemy, the enemies we were once created to kill. It's what we still do, we destroy them." Jacob begun to tell me; I could hear in his voice that he truly believed in what he told me, that this wasn't just some sick game to him, that there was a reason to all of this, and that they fought for that reason. "This is an enemy that hurt people, many people, and back in the days, the Quileutes changed into werewolves to protect the tribe. Now we only change when our enemies are near, which is not all the time."

I bit my lip. "What kind of enemy are we talking about here? Another animal of some sort?" I couldn't help but glance nervously into the woods right behind the houses. Was there some sort of dangerous animal in there, just getting ready to attack my car when I drove home later?

Jacob let me to a nearby bench and we sat down, facing each other. "It's the worst kind of enemy. Not an animal, _worse_. It's the bloodsucker."

I blinked a few times. _A bloodsucker? _"Like a leech?"

"Like a huge leech." Jacob confirmed, nodding his head. "Except, they're not really leeches. They – they feed off of blood, but they blend in with the humans."

I huffed. "Sounds like the worst predators in the world."

"They are."

"Sounds like..." I almost couldn't say it, but I knew I had to. It would sound ridiculous, even in my own ears, so I had to remind myself that I was talking to a werewolf right now, so he had no reason to laugh at me. "...a vampire?"

A small smile edged its way across Jacob's face.

I couldn't believe it. "You're honestly serious? Vampires? For real?" I chocked and felt myself shiver involuntarily. If vampires were real, everything about the world was more different than I'd thought. Vampires only belonged in horror stories; there they suck blood and kill people and sleep in their coffins with their giants fangs. Did they turn into bats too? I wondered... if they did look like ordinary humans, how many of them had I encountered in my life so far?

"We don't know everything about them, we just know they aren't like the vampires in the horror stories. At least not completely." Jacob said to me, and for a second I was relieved, until I realised that even though they didn't completely share Dracula's lifestyle, they probably still shared his favourite food.

I rubbed my temples. "So what? Since you're changing, are there vampires here? In Forks?" I breathed out. Suddenly, small town Forks didn't seem so boring and ordinary anymore. The idea of a clan of vampires running around here, living among us, suddenly had me shivering beneath my raincoat. Of all the places they could live, they chose Forks? Stupid vampires!

Jacob chuckled. "There were three nomads, passing through." he informed me, his eyes glazing over as he thought back, "They killed those hikers. We managed to destroy one of them. A man and a woman got away." he locked his eyes with mine. "We're the only people who can destroy vampires. But other vampires, of course."

"Of course." I absent-mindedly agreed as I chewed on my lip. If two vampires got away, that meant that it was still dangerous to go into the woods around Forks. I had to warn Alice and her family off from going hiking again. I'd just have to come up with a really good excuse.

I paused when I thought of Alice. I had – this entire time – thought that getting to know Jacob's secret, would lead me to knowing Alice's secret as well. But I hadn't helped me, not at all. It had just given me more to worry about. It had just made me even more concerned that something might happen to Alice before I ever got the chance to really be wit her.

_Sweet little Alice... she is so tiny! If normal people don't stand a chance against vampires, what about her? She'll be crushed within seconds. _

Jacob smiled at me, and for a second it was nice to see that particular expression on his face again. Until he spoke of course. "So now you see why you can't be near the Cullens."

I cocked an eyebrow. The Cullens? _How the fuck does the Cullens fit into this picture? Does he think they're exposing me to the vampires or something? _I decided not to answer him on that one. "So when the vampires have passed through, or you've killed the other two, will you all go back to normal?"

Jacob stared at me then, his eyes moving from my left one, to my right one, to my left one again, studying me closely. Obviously, there was something he didn't quite understand, or maybe I'd misunderstood something. "But Bella..." he whispered, his hand reaching for mine, tucking it into his giant one. "We will continue to stay werewolves, because there's also a family here, a family that we can't hurt, because of an old treaty, but a family of vampires nonetheless."

I felt my eyes go wide in surprise. There was a family of vampires here? In Forks? As in living permanently in Forks? How could they not destroy them when there was a risk of them killing the entire population! Why didn't they just throw out that damn, old treaty and kick some vampire butt? "But Jake!" I whined. "Are you just gonna let them kill people?"

He shook his head and dropped my hand to my lap. "They don't kill people. They kill animals."

For a second there, I felt extremely relieved. Okay sure, there was, indeed, a family of vampires living in Forks, but they didn't hurt people. That was something, at least. But still... it would be nice to stay clear of them, just in case. I mean, I probably didn't know them, but better to be safe than sorry, right? What if they couldn't control themselves one day? I didn't want to be near them when that happened!

"So..." I tapped my finger against my thigh and hoped this sounded casual. "Which family is it?"

And the look in Jacob's eyes completely threw me off, because he looked absolutely amused with me. He had laughter playing inside his brown pools, and he cracked a grin. "Use your mind, Bella!" he mocked me, laughter ticking in his voice. "Can't you think of one family in Forks that is 'special' enough to be a family of vampires?"

I swallowed loudly and tried to think of every person I'd met briefly, if anyone had stood out to me, perhaps hid their fangs in a turtle-neck. But I couldn't think of anyone – not one single person. "_Which family_?" I demanded to know.

And suddenly, I just knew it. I just knew which family that was 'special' enough to be a family of vampires. And I felt completely foolish for not realising it as soon as Jacob had informed me that there was such a family living here. I just couldn't believe it.

And so, before the words even left his mouth, I just knew it,

_The Cullens. _

"The Cullens."

* * *

_Damn, it's nice to be back writing properly again. I'm still not totally happy about this chapter, but I feel much better about it than the last one. And it was a quicker update, so that's always nice. Thank you so much for the nice reviews I got from all of you, I hope you know how much they're appreciated. I definitely hope that I did not disappoint anyone with this chapter; I know it's been a long time in the running, and next chapter should be even more interesting to write. _

_Oh. And since I'm absolutely tired of reading countless of Twilight fictions, always reading the same story about how Bella finds out about vampires, I tried to do it differently, and I tried doing it with a little humour. I guess I'm just tired of all of these fictions being the same, so I wanted to do it a little differently. And Bella is completely clueless, which I did on purpose for this chapter, so I hope you find it slightly amusing. _

_Anyways! Please tell me your thoughts. I'd love to know. _

_**Disclaimer; **I don't own Twilight. _


	10. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten**

"Fucking fuck!" I hissed as I trampled my way across the reservation towards the Black house where my truck was parked right outside. With every fibre of my being, I felt violated, cheated. I was angry, so fucking pissed, I don't think I'd ever been so mad before.

I could hear Jacob's yells from behind me as he begged me to stay so we could talk this out. But I couldn't stay, not now. Not after what I'd learned about life, about him, about... Alice. There was only one person I wanted to talk to right now, and though all of my senses told me it would probably be better to stay the hell away from her for at least a while, I couldn't stop my heart from wanting what it did. It wanted Alice, it wanted her touch, her presence, her voice.

I climbed into my car and while it took me a few tries to get it to start, I was too mad to even care. I just reversed right out of there as soon as it let me, once more ignoring the red flashes from the dashboard. All sensible parts of me told me that there was no reason for me to be this upset, that everything that had just happened, hadn't actually happened and that it was all just a flicker of my imagination. That werewolves weren't real, that vampires didn't exist and that everything was exactly as it seemed.

Though I knew I'd been bracing myself for an outcome like this, I was in no way ready to know the truth. I'd hurried to figure out what exactly it was about Alice that was so spectacular, but now that I knew – I wasn't quite sure if I was ready to deal with the consequences. I just knew that I had to; I needed to go see her, and whatever happened when I got there, that'd happen. To be honest... I should feel scared, feel put off for knowing that they weren't just a regular family, that they were vampires who... who had lived for hundredths of years perhaps, who naturally craved blood, but – I _didn't._ Because Alice wouldn't hurt me, none of them would.

But vampires? Really? I knew Jacob was right, I knew it was true, but it was so hard to grasp the fact that the girl I was so in love with, she wasn't just a girl. She was a vampire. A _mythical_ creature. Should I leave her then? Could I leave her?

I huffed as I drove off of the dirt road and onto the asphalted road that would lead me through the forest and into town. Clasping my hands tightly around the steering wheel, I realised the truth. "No." I mumbled, because that was the truth. I couldn't leave her, even if maybe I should.

The time had gone by faster than I'd thought it would, so the dark was settling between the trees rather quickly. I pushed my car as much as I could. I'd thought I'd demand a conversation between Jacob and I and then be out of the reservation quickly. But it hadn't happened like that, of course it hadn't. The events of this afternoon had been plenty and there was a lot I needed to wrap my head around. It wouldn't be easy, but I knew I could do it.

Soon, I was halfway through the forest, and my headlights were greatly needed, since there was no way I could see anything without them. I slowed down the truck, afraid that I'd hit something if I continued at the speed I was at with the low light my headlights offered me. I wouldn't want to crash into some huge deer or something, just because I was eager to get home. It wasn't even like me to be like this; usually, I couldn't care less about dark nights and lonely streets (I'd lived in Phoenix, for Christ's sake!), but something had me on the edge of my seat right now.

I didn't know if it was the fact that I knew that vampires and werewolves were luring around in the forest, or if it was because I simply needed the sanctuary of my room to figure things out, and I was just eager to get there. Whatever it was though, I could feel my stomach clench because I just wanted to get out of the woods. Like, _right now_, to be honest.

I felt my throat tighten when my truck suddenly hiccuped, and my eyes went to the dashboard once more, where the gas-sign was flashing repeatedly, before everything went dark, and my car came to a stop. Realising the painful truth, I found my eyes gripping the steering wheel even harder than they had been before. No. Fucking. Way. That damn car! Normally, I was all for protecting the truck from various snide remarks, but right now, I honestly hated it. Why did it have to run out of gas in the middle of the road, on a dark night, right after I found out that mythical creatures were more than just mythical?

Ordering myself inwardly to calm down, I reached for my jacket on the passenger's seat. I'd just have to call up my father via my cell phone. He'd come get me in an instant and we'd leave the car be and go pick it up tomorrow with some extra gas. He'd pull out his siren to get to me quickly, I was sure. Fumbling around my jacket, I made sure to feel all the pockets for the familiar shape of my phone. But I paused when I realised something else – I hadn't brought my phone. I'd been in such a hurry to get out of there to talk to Jacob, that I'd only grabbed my keys; I hadn't even washed the stinky fish off of me!

I clonked my head to the wheel. "Damnit!" I groaned. There was only one way out of this right now, and that was into the dark night, with only my light jacket and no form of light. At least it hadn't been raining today, and if I just followed the road, I'd end up right outside of Forks, where the street lamps would eventually lead me to the house. There was no way out of this, I'd just have to do it.

Glancing through the windows to see if there were any red eyes luring at me from the trees, I swallowed loudly and got out of the car. _You just have to keep a steady pace, and you'll be home in no time! _I tried to convince myself, as I jogged away from my truck, wanting to leave it behind before I changed my mind and went back there to sleep with the doors locked. I slowed down pretty quickly though, since I was in no shape whatsoever, and I considered myself lucky for not slipping over my own feet in the dark.

It was getting colder and I walked as fast as my feet could carry me without actually tripping. I shuttered in my jacket and hugged my arms around myself, desperately trying to rub some heat into them. The only sounds that could be heard was the scrapes of my feet against the ground and the rustle from the forest around me. It was a silent night, but now and then, an animal would make a sound, and I'd find myself speeding up just a little.

I couldn't help but look around me as I walked. I knew I was just being paranoid, but I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was looking at me, following me. It was just because of the events of the afternoon, but it made me uncomfortable, as it would have done with anyone. I could almost feel the burning of eyes on my back as I continued down the road, keeping my vision straight ahead, scared, but also comforted, by the fact that I could see no further than as far as I could reach my arms.

A crack was heard from my left side and I shivered, before angling my direction towards the centre of the road. The pricking on my back intensified, and suddenly I was certain that I wasn't just being paranoid. Someone – or something – was definitely luring at me, right behind the shadows of the first trees. If this was Jacob, it wasn't funny.

I paused. "Jake?" I whispered, my voice barely slipping across my lips. I was more scared than I'd like to admit. Something was following me, and I had no idea what it was. I swallowed loudly, knowing that no matter what, I wouldn't be able to run from it, so I might as well face it head on. "Jacob, is that you?" I hissed, this time, my voice was firmer, and I could feel a pang of energy flow through me. It would be pointless to stand there like a lost little girl. I'd have to fight it – whatever _it _was.

Something brushed right past my left side, and I turned on the spot, trying to follow it. But there was nothing in sight, I was alone in the middle of the road. But I could feel it, even if I couldn't see it. My other senses told me I wasn't alone, and I believed them. I wasn't alone. I bit my lip. I – technically – didn't have a clue as to who was watching me, taunting me, but I, deep down, knew what it was; this wasn't Jacob, none of the werewolves from the pack would do this to me, regardless of which side I was on, no this was a vampire. And as far as I'd learned today, it wasn't necessarily one from the Cullen family.

Which left me pretty worried, since this vampire – necessarily – didn't not hurt people.

I clenched my fist tightly, when I could feel someone moving closer from behind me. I couldn't turn. My feet were planted to the ground, though I knew I should at least attempt to run. But I knew I'd fall and slip on the way – what was the point? I whispered, "Are you here to kill me?"

There wasn't a respond, but suddenly I felt it; a cold finger on the base of my neck. It was familiar, yet unfamiliar. It had the coldness, the stillness, of Alice's touch, but it didn't have the gentle caress I'd come to love so much. Was this it then? Wouldn't I ever have the chance to be with – really be with Alice, like really love her with no conditions? I could feel the cold breath on my neck too, before I heard the voice speak; it was unfamiliar, nothing I'd heard before. It was filled with venom, menace, but still, so gentle, so... childish.

"Mhm, she smells delicious!"

I breathed out shakily.

"Beneath the reek of those dogs, of course."

This voice came from somewhere else, and I realised that I was outnumbered. There was no way in hell I stood a chance – not that I'd had one before. The voice was darker, deeper, _male_. And I came from in front of me. Right in front of me, but just out of my sight of vision.

The first one – the woman – trailed a finger around me as she stepped in front of me. I couldn't help but gasp. So many features of hers reminded me of the Cullen family; the white skin, the apparent beauty. But a single trait told me that, indeed, this vampire was very different from the family I knew. She was spotting red eyes; bright red eyes, filled with years and years of blood and murder. And to top it off, she had a wild mane of flaming red hair on top of her head.

She spoke. "It should be fun. Killing this one." she dropped her finger from the front of my chest and took a step backwards. "Or what do you think, James? If she's friends with the dogs, this should be interesting."

Another person stepped out from the shadows behind her. I knew I shouldn't have been shocked to see his red eyes, but I couldn't help but be surprised. It would never appear normal, the red eyes, and I wondered quickly, if maybe all of the Cullens wore contacts everyday to blend in better. Now I'd never know.

He ran a finger across his chin as he watched me. "Well, we should definitely make sure to kill her, after all – they destroyed Laurent, didn't they?"

I could feel my heartbeat speed up when I recalled what Jacob had told me earlier. They'd destroyed one vampire, and the other two had left – or so the werewolves had thought. Apparently they hadn't left, apparently they felt a strong need to revenge the death of their friend. On me. I huffed. Trust my car to run out of gas when two vampires are chasing me.

_Not that it would have made any difference, _I told myself, slowly taking a step away from the two vampires, _if they want to kill me, they'll do it regardless. _

I knew this technically wasn't the first time I'd been standing right in front of two vampires. Apparently, I'd done so plenty since I moved here, but for some reason, this just wasn't the same. I'd never once been scared by any of the Cullens (OK, maybe Emmett did look intimidating from a distance, but he'd never done anything to make me believe he'd hurt me), but these two, they just oozed danger. I'd never felt that way with the Cullens, I'd always felt more protected than anything.

James laughed. "She's backing away from us!"

The woman was behind me quicker than I could take a breath. "I'm Victoria." she whispered into my ear, her breath sending chills down my spine in the worst way possible.

"Why are you doing this to me?" I managed to blurt out. My fingers were clenched by my sides, and I felt the need to lash out, hit her, do anything, but I also knew that it would be in vain. No matter how hard I was able to hit her, I was pretty certain it wouldn't hurt her in any way. Jacob had said so himself – only other vampires and werewolves were able to destroy a vampire. What did I – a simple human – have to fight back with?

Victoria laughed. "You're cute, you know that, right? It's almost a shame to kill you. You would make for one gorgeous vampire."

I held back a growl. "My father's the chief of police, he'll come looking for me soon." I warned them.

"Good." James smiled back to me. "I was starting to think that sharing you would cause some problems. Now we get one each."

Victoria sniffed me again. "If he smells half as good as you, this will be a festive feast."

I felt the panic when I realised that, of course, they'd just kill my father too and empty his body for every last drop of blood, just like they'd done with those hikers. And we'd be found by someone in the morning and the search would start for the big wolves once more, and no one other than in fact the wolves, would know what really killed us. I shuttered again, wishing my father _wouldn't_ show up.

"I have other friends, you know." I tried to threaten them. Victoria still hovered right behind me, but I dared to lock my eyes with James', as painful as it was. "Alice will find you. She'll know that vampires did this to me."

"Is Alice... a vampire, Bella?" James questioned me with the most innocent of looks in his eyes.

I squeezed my eyes together. "_Yes._"

Victoria laughed behind me. "Oh! That's priceless!" her high-pitched laughter turn into a low growl. "She _knows_ a vampire."

I knew it was a long shot to believe that Alice would actually find these two and do something about it, but it was the only comfort I had. I didn't want her to get hurt, but I knew that her entire family would be there for her, and between the two teams, it was seven to two, so I knew the Cullens had the odds. Not that it'd matter to me, though, because I would be long gone. It was slightly comforting though.

"So-" James begun, letting his red eyes scan my entire form, "-this can be quick, or it can be painful."

Victoria laughed again. "I vote for slow and painful, my dear. That's how I like it the best."

James raised an eyebrow, and I could tell that he was about to answer Victoria, when something else caught his attention. Though he'd been inhumanly still as we'd been speaking, he seemed to freeze up even more and listen carefully. Not a sound could be heard around us, except my ragged breathing as the wheels turned inside of my head.

He was listening, so was Victoria. Maybe something was happening, maybe someone was coming. And I knew it was a long shot, but if I had to have any chance at getting out of here, I'd have to catch them by surprise and simply just run as fast as I could towards Forks, not looking back once. I had a feeling that vampires were fast, but what else could I do? I wouldn't just stand there and let them ravish me like this.

Victoria slipped around me, placing a comforting hand on James' shoulder. "Someone's coming."

James' jaw tightened. "Someone," he mumbled his eyes locking with Victoria's, "someone like – _us_."

And that was when I had my cue. This would be my only chance, and I had to make good use of it. Not looking at the two vampires, I set off down the deserted road. It didn't take them two seconds to realise what I was doing, I could hear Victoria's vicious laugh behind me, but I kept on going, hoping with all of my might that something would happen, and I would get out of here.

As I was about to turn the first corner on my way, I turned my head to see if they'd started chasing me. My eyes searched the road behind me as I ran, but none of them could be seen. Turning back around to watch my feet hit the ground, I stumbled into something stoic, something hard as a rock and fell to the ground. I knew that this was it. They'd slipped past me and they were going to kill me. And I hadn't even been with Alice yet, we hadn't had a real chance.

I could feel cold fingers pry my head to the side and cold lips bend down to whisper in my ear. But it wasn't a growl or a promise of death that reached my brain, it was a softer voice, the voice of an angel, who held me close in her arms.

"Bella, it's me."

And I swear, I'd never felt more relieved as I pried my eyes open and looked up from where I was, flat on the ground, only to find Alice's topaz eyes gazing down at me, worry and love edged in them as if it was the only thing she'd ever felt. She was kneeling beside me, her fingers gripping me tightly, and I could see that she was scared, just as scared as I'd been. I had thought I was going to die, she might have thought the same thing.

"Alice!" I cried, and before I knew what I was doing, I'd flung myself into her arms, loving the feeling of her strong body against my limp one. She was cradling me, offering me comfort. I'd no idea what was happening, how she even got here, how she knew where to go, but I appreciated her presence more than anything right now.

I could hear a car door slam right next to me, and I pulled myself away from Alice. I did not leave the ground, I placed my arms around my legs, and held myself close. Looking up, I saw Alice talking to her father near his Mercedes. He looked worried too, as he shot me small glances.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and snapped my head to the side. "I'm glad to see you're OK."

Edward's smile comforted me too, as he offered me a hand and pulled me to my feet. I smiled. "Thanks."

"Emmett and I went back to see if we could catch them, but as soon as you ran off, so did they." Edward continued to explain, and suddenly I saw Emmett by the side of the road, angrily kicking a tree, which caused it to snap like a thin piece of wood.

"Bella, I'm so sorry," Alice said to me, as Edward and I joined her and Doctor Cullen by the car, "this wasn't how I wanted you to find out, I swear, I thought the Quileutes had chased them away a long time ago and that there was no danger being out here."

I didn't know what to say. So many questions floated through my brain, and honestly, I just felt extremely relieved to be alive right now. I couldn't quite comprehend the fact that everything that had happened had caused me to be where I was, knowing what I knew. And it didn't matter, that I was standing in the presence of four vampires, because I didn't feel scared like I'd done before, when Victoria and James had cornered me in the middle of the road. I just felt safe.

Doctor Cullen placed a comforting hand on Alice's shoulder. "Let's not have this conversation here, Alice. Why don't you and I take Bella back to the house, and Edward and Emmett can take her car."

Alice nodded, and soon she'd taken Edward's spot, an arm around my shoulder. And while it had felt nice to have Edward there, protective and comforting, it felt even better to have Alice's small hands rub gentle circles on my back. I vaguely remembered though, that this entire mess had started because my car had run out of fuel.

"There's no gas on my car." I silently whispered, looking at Doctor Cullen with an apologetic look.

Emmett returned from the trunk of the car two seconds later with a giant petrol can dangling from his left hand. "We knew that." he smiled, holding it up for me to see.

Reluctantly, I grabbed the keys out of my jacket and threw them at Edward. "Be careful, she's my baby." I said to him.

Edward and Emmett both roared with laughter as they ran off down the road, towards the direction of my car. I looked down at Alice, and saw that she was smiling at me, even if I could tell that she was very worried. "Come here." she whispered, before she wrapped her arms around me again, and hugged me tight, tighter than she'd ever done before. And it felt good, even if what got us here was extremely horrible and thought-provoking. It felt nice to just be hugged by Alice, knowing she was there for me.

Doctor Cullen cleared his throat. "We should probably get back quickly, Alice. I know your mother will be worried."

Sweet, gentle Mrs. Cullen. She was worried about her vampire children as they'd come to rescue me from the villain vampires. Even though there were so many things wrong with that sentence, I couldn't help but feel warm when I thought of it; Mrs. Cullen was the picture of love and care. And she made this entire scenario more heart-warming than it probably should have been.

Alice led me to the car, as we both scooted into the back seat, Alice's hands not once leaving my body. "You need to call your father to let him know you'll be spending the night at my place." she whispered, reaching forward to grab the cell phone that was thrown onto the dashboard. "We need to talk about this."

And though I would have preferred time to think things through at home in my own bed, I knew I couldn't, not right now. I had to deal with this, even if I didn't want to at the moment. I thankfully accepted the phone from Alice, but before dialling my home number, I gave her a worried glance. "They're not going to go back for him... are they?"

Though I hadn't named either 'them' or 'him', Alice knew exactly what I meant. She shook her head. "I don't think so. They like the way you smell, but they're not stupid. They know that if they come back into town and hurt anybody, we're going to catch them. After what the dogs did to the other one.. I don't think they're taking chances."

I knew I had no reason to believe her, and that I should feel worried for my father still, but I couldn't help but cling onto every word she said. She had to know these things, right? And what else could I do? I couldn't very well go back home and demand my father join me at my sleepover with Alice. Which I naturally had to attend, because there were so many things we needed to sort through. So I did what Alice wanted me to, I called up my father and tried to explain the situation. He didn't quite get why I was suddenly going to spend the night with Alice, but he seemed very pleased by the fact that I was now getting this close to a friend.

The rest of the ride back to the Cullen house was quiet. I was swamped with questions, but I wasn't in a hurry to get the answers. I knew they'd tell me everything eventually. So I just rested my head on Alice's shoulder and tried to really comprehend the fact that I was still alive, but that it had actually been a very close call tonight. What to do with information as that? I guess I should just be thankful that I knew someone like Alice, who was able to be there for me, when I really needed it. I did have a feeling though, that Alice – she'd be there for me always, if I let her.

When we arrived at their place, the entire house was lit up, the feeling of warmth and security seeping through the huge walls, which were entirely made of glass, almost all of them. Carlisle parked his car right outside the house and I could hear Edward and Emmett coming down the driveway, my truck rattling to make sure its presence was known. Alice still had her arm around me, as she led me up the stairs and into the house.

The second we crossed the doorway, something very fast and very petite had flung itself onto us with inhumanly strength. "Alice, oh thank God you're all in one piece!"

I couldn't help but smile; I recognized that voice from our brief encounter at the market. It was Mrs. Cullen, and she was very happy to see us all.

I felt her hands on me as she inspected every part of my body. "Bella, are you OK too? They didn't break anything, did they?"

I had no idea how she knew about them, and I should probably be offended that some random stranger was touching me the way she was, but I could see in her eyes that she was worried, that she was thankful for the fact that I stood among her family, and that I wasn't hurt. And how could I be mad in a situation like this? I was thankful I wasn't hurt, too.

Doctor Cullen gently tucked at his wife's arm, prying her away from Alice and myself. "Darling, I will surely check up on Bella if she'll let me, but right now, let's go sit in the living room." he smiled at me warmly. "You don't feel hurt, do you?"

To be honest, they hadn't really managed to get a good hit at me. The entire situation had been frightening, yes, but I'd managed to escape it before they actually had tried to harm me. I felt absolutely fine, if not just a little shaken. And I was proud, too, I'd actually managed to run pretty far without slipping over my own feet. That was an accomplishment on its own accord.

Edward and Emmett brushed past me and Alice to follow their parents into another room, and we were left alone for the first time since I knew what she was. Would I look at her differently? I quickly realised that I wouldn't, when she – with a gentle finger – pried my head to the side so our eyes could meet. "Bella?" she whispered, her angelic voice calming my nerves and the adrenaline that was still pumping through my veins.

Right that moment, I didn't know what came over me, but something told me to do what I did. I couldn't help myself. I'd wanted it for so long (though only recently really admitted it to myself), and after tonight's events, I just didn't want to waste more time, not when I had so little left of it, and every day could – possibly – be my last. She might be a vampire and live for eternity, but I was not. I was a human girl, a human girl with great clumsiness on top of that. Who was to say how long it'd take before I did something and that would be it?

So I bent my head down and pressed my lips to hers, in a complete spur of the moment kind of thing. I didn't know what I'd expected, but her lips were cold, yet soft, and I could feel them pressing back to mine, meeting me halfway there. There was another chill down my spin tonight, but this time, it was a much more pleasant one. And it felt good, because she wasn't pushing me away, and my insides were screaming to me that this couldn't be real, that gorgeous Alice Cullen wasn't just reciprocating my kiss, but she was, and it was pretty damn amazing.

I pulled back, though, when air because a necessity, though I would have much rather continued my exploit of her lips to the exploit of her mouth. _All in good time, _I told myself, for, after all, she had just kissed me back, so it was likely that she'd let me kiss her again.

Alice grinned up at me, playfulness shining through her eyes, which were now more black than they were golden. She tightened her hold on me. "What was that for, Bella?"

"I love you." I breathlessly said, and the response I got, that was pure bliss, because she just looked at me, and she didn't have to say the words back, I just knew that she felt the same. I'd come to love her, I didn't know when, but I just knew now that I had. I loved Alice Cullen.

Poking his head through the door, Edward flashed his white teeth at us. He had a finger to his temple as he addressed Alice, "Play nice now, dear sister, the rest of the family is waiting for you two to join us. I think that... Bella has a lot to learn."

And Alice giggled lightly, before she wrapped both arms around me and we followed Edward through the doorway and into the living room.

* * *

_This chapter kicked my butt, seriously. It was hard for me to write, but I'm pretty happy with the outcome. I, originally, had it planned to be their entire night as well, but I figured it's probably be better to give that its own chapter. Plus, this update was long overdue. _

_Anyways. Thank you so much for the support and the reviews; they definitely keep me going when I feel like I'm stuck. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter as well? I thought it was time for some drama, and it's safe to say that Victoria and James will be back in later chapters. _

_Please review! _

_**Disclaimer; **I don't own Twilight. _


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven **

We were all gathered in the living room. And I mean it – all of us. Me, Bella Swan, and the entire Cullen family. I was sitting stiffly against the side of their white couch, Alice's hand firmly clasped in mine. She was right next to me, I could feel her entire body pressed against mine, and it felt good. And though I wasn't scared or worried what would happen next, I was very self-conscious about the fact that her entire family was looking at me, probably expecting me to say something.

It would have been nice to have talked with Alice before this inquisition, but I guess some things just happen the way they do for a reason. I shouldn't be worried, right? It was a good – they wanted to talk to me, include me in their family. I should be thrilled. Though I was still very nervous.

"Uhm..." I cleared my throat. What did they want me to say? I had no idea! I squirmed in my seat.

Rosalie huffed lowly from where she was standing, back flush against the wall, as far away from the rest of us as she could possibly be. She looked beautiful, stoic, and her eyes were following my every motion, while the expression on her face didn't change from that of discomfort. I let my eyes wander to her partner, her Emmett, who was sitting in a recliner, comfortably leaned back. He was amused, I could tell, by the entire situation. He looked more and more like a big bear I just wanted to hug – how could someone find him scary? I bet they could, with the right facial expressions on his behalf.

It was Edward who spoke then, from his seat in the chair right next to me. He pulled me out of my misery with the low murmur of his voice. "So, now Bella knows. What do we do about it?"

I could see Doctor Cullen shoot him a thankful smile from across from me. He was sitting right next to his wife on the other couch, her right hand nestled in both his, lying right there in his lap. "Well, I'm not really sure how much Bella knows-?" he looked at me then, briefly, "I'm not quite sure how much the Quileutes told her."

I felt their eyes on me again and tightened my grip on Alice's hand. "I don't really-" I bid back a huff. I had no idea how to go about this!

Edward chuckled next to me. "Yes Alice, I was thinking the exact same thing."

My eyes moved from Edward to Alice, but none of them did anything. What had I just missed? Some silent form of communication?

"I think it's pretty obvious what we're going to do about this." Rosalie said, pushing herself away from the wall. Everybody turned to follow her with their eyes as she crossed the floor and stood behind Emmett's chair. "She knows now. It's dangerous for us to stay. As much as I want Alice to be happy, I'm not sure it's a risk we should be willing to take."

I could tell that Mrs. Cullen was about to give her daughter a piece of her mind, but it was Jasper who spoke up then, from his seat next to Alice on the couch. I wasn't actually sure I'd ever heard him speak before, so I was quite surprised that he'd even partake in a conversation like this. "Alice deserves this, Rose." he said, and I could tell that another from of silent communication was used between the two Hales. It was evident that this family knew each other better than any other family I'd ever encountered.

"What's the problem anyway?" Emmett spoke, grinning from ear to ear. "Bella's cool, I like her. And the more the merrier."

Mrs. Cullen smiled warmly at her son. "You're right, Emmett, and as much as I hope that Bella will stick around, I think it's stupid of us to just assume that she will." her topaz eyes met mine again, and for a second, our gazes locked. "Bella, dear, I'm sorry if we seem pushy or insistent, but you have to know that from everything Alice has told us about you, we feel like we already know you very well."

I could feel my mouth go dry. I didn't really know what the proper response to that was, I just knew that I felt really secure (though slightly discomforted right now) in their presence. So I offered her a smile. "It's OK, Mrs. Cullen, I'm just, I'm still trying to take everything in."

"Call me Esme." was the only response I got to that. And I knew I'd have to obey, because that was her firm voice.

Doctor Cullen spoke then. "I think, before we discuss the matters of what happens next, it'd be better if Bella knew everything – after all, she must have many questions for us right now." he paused. "And I'm Carlisle. Not Doctor Cullen, just so we're clear on that."

I shifted awkwardly in my seat again.

"It's OK," I heard Alice murmur next to me, "please ask us anything, Bella."

I swallowed a huge lump and sat up straighter. "So you're uh... you're vampires?" I lamely questioned. It'd be so much easier if they just started talking and I just started listening. Perhaps I'd butt in once in a while with a question or two.

Emmett chuckled. "Yeah we are. But as you can tell we're nothing like the myths claim us to be."

I glanced around the white, warm living room with a smile on my face. This was as far from coffins and basements as it could possible get. I was absolutely in love with the way that the entire backside of the house was made of glass, and I couldn't wait to experience the light in here when the sun was up. I tapped the fingers of my free hand against the cushion of the sofa. "So no coffins? And you don't turn into bats?"

"Certainly do not." Alice piped next to me, releasing her grip on my hand. She could tell that I felt more at ease now; she'd always been able to read me, since day one. "Actually, we don't sleep at all."

I felt my mouth fall open as I gaped at them all, "You don't sleep?"

"Nix." Alice flashed her perfect teeth at me.

I bobbed my head. "Wow."

"As you can probably tell, we try to fit in with the humans." Doctor Cull- uhm _Carlisle_ started to tell me. "We want to live normally, we want to have normal lives, well, as normal as they can get."

I said, "Jake told me that... that you guys don't drink blood from humans?"

Jasper spoke up then, "It's not without difficulty, I can assure you that much."

"But none of us wants to be monsters." Esme told me with a warm smile. "We don't like to kill, that's why we attempt this lifestyle."

Rosalie groaned loudly and shook her head. "I can't believe you're telling her all of this. Don't you realise how much trouble we're going to be in if the Volturi find out?"

Esme shot her another stern glare. "Be quiet or go to your room."

Rosalie took a seat on Emmett's lap with a huff.

I breathed out deeply as another silence overtook the room. I hadn't nearly asked all the questions I wanted to, but I had no idea where to start, what to begin with. There were so many things; it was a whole new world to me, not just something I could easily jump into. I'd have to learn, and it was going to take a while, but I knew that I wanted to try. Because I felt good when I was with Alice, heck, I loved her!, and I wanted to be with her, and spend time with her... that meant I'd have to adjust to all of this. What our different worlds meant for our love affair, I had no idea, but I knew that our differences weren't going to keep me away from her!

"But you're a doctor," I looked at Carlisle then, as the idea struck me to my seat, "you work with blood everyday. How could you handle that?"

Carlisle smiled at me. "Years and years of practise."

I then thought of something else. If Carlisle had years of practise, how many years did he mean? How old were they exactly? They could be ancient for all I knew, right? "How old... are you exactly?" I whispered then, glancing around the room.

Edward laughed next to me. "Believe it or not, Emmett is the baby in this family."

I felt my eyes go wide. "No way! You're the youngest?"

He laughed at me and shrugged his shoulders. "True."

I glanced at Alice. "Tell me everything, please!"

Alice shared a brief look with both Esme and Rosalie, before turning her head to meet mine. "I can't tell you everything, Bella, but I can tell you some. Carlisle started this family, he's like a father to all of us, well, except to Esme, of course." she giggled. "He later changed first Edward, then Esme, then Rosalie and lastly, he changed Emmett." she stared warmly at her father, sitting there across the room. "He's managed to create himself a little family in the last hundred years or so."

I glanced quickly at Jasper. "But what about you two..."

Alice chuckled. "Jazz and I met each other before we joined the rest of the family. That was in 1950."

"And of course we accepted them into the house with open arms." Esme lovingly murmured, happiness shining through her eyes.

I was baffled. I didn't know what to say or what to reply to this. There were so many loose ends, so many questions left to be answered. I just wanted to know everything, every little detail. But perhaps some of this was better left for when Alice and I were alone (which I wouldn't mine if was soon).

Edward shifted in his seat. "Aren't there many things you want to know?"

"A whole lot." I honestly answered him. So they were nothing like the vampires from the myths, I'd established that pretty quickly. But what were they like then? How did they hunt their food down? I could remember from my encounter earlier this evening that Victoria and James had been fast, like inhumanly fast. They must have special powers for all of that. "You've got... some sort of superpowers, don't you?"

Carlisle chuckled at me. "You can put it like that, if you want. All vampires sort of get their senses heightened once they're changed. They become stronger, faster. They hear better, see better, smell better. Everything is multiplied once the transformation is complete."

I smiled at him in awe. "So basically, you're nothing like Dracula at all?"

"We still can't come out in the sunlight." Emmett laughed from his chair. His head was peeking at me from behind Rosalie's back. "It does strange things to our skin."

"I'll show you sometime." Alice breathlessly whispered into my ear.

Rosalie bit her lip, and for the first time, her eyes locked with mine. "There's more you should know, Bella."

Esme gave her blonde daughter a warning with her eyes.

"No," Rosalie continued, "no, I think she should know everything. It's only fair. After all, she is putting us all in danger by even sitting there. Who knows what those two vampires will do now that you've saved her from them? Maybe they'll move on, maybe they'll stay put?" she paused, puffing out air as she spoke, "And on top of that, there's the Volturi breathing down our necks because they're that desperate to collect Edward and Alice first chance they get!" she hopped off of Emmett's lap and angrily stomped across the floor and into another room, mumbling curses as she went.

I had no idea what half of that was about, but apparently the rest of them did, because Esme pointed at Emmett. "You. Go fix that. _Now_."

And he did. He was out of that chair quicker than I'd ever seen anything move. In fact, maybe he did it that quickly just to toy with me, because he was barely a shadow of himself, as I counted approximately thirty seconds before I heard a door slam somewhere behind him.

"Who are the... Vol-tu-ri?" I broke the silence slowly, sounding out the foreign name as I went.

Alice wrapped her arm around me, placing a soft kiss to my arm. "No one you need to worry about. Rosalie is just being dramatic."

"She does need to know though." Jasper pointed out.

Carlisle spoke then, releasing his grip on Esme's fingers. "I have this theory," he begun, his eyes lightening up with passion, "that when someone's changed into a vampire, not only do they gain the powers that every vampire has, but they – in some way – take with them their best qualities from their human life, and that quality is multiplied as well. In some cases..." he paused and glanced at the three of his children who were still in the room, "they turn into something much more."

I didn't know what to say, since I had no idea what he was going on about.

Edward spoke then, "I was always very good at knowing what other people were thinking," he told me, "as a human, I could just read people, everyone was an open book to me. And – after I changed, I came to realise that now I _could_ actually read everyone like an open book. I read minds, Bella."

I felt my mouth fall open. "You read minds?" I questioned. I knew I shouldn't be too shocked about this, after all I'd learned many crazy things today, so why not add to it? But the fact that he'd been able to read every thought I'd ever had in his presence, well... that was just very annoying, because I'd had some pretty vivid thoughts about his sister.

"Every mind in this room," he flashed a smile at me, "except yours."

"You can't read my mind?" I asked him, cocking an eyebrow. I didn't know if I should feel offended or relieved. My thoughts were still only _my_ thoughts, but was there something wrong with me?

He shrugged his shoulders. "For some reason, no. Which is why I've been so intrigued by our friendship since the beginning."

"I control emotions." Jasper told me then, in his thick southern drawl. "Apparently, I was very charismatic as a human. So now I can literally toy with your feelings. If you're angry, I can make you happy."

I was just as impressed by this as I was about Edward's powers. Such craziness! I wondered if Alice had anything special, or if perhaps it was only Edward and Jasper who did. After all, it didn't seem like it was many vampires who were lucky enough to get an extra power like that. I turned to look at her, expectations in my eyes. She would tell me, now.

"I-" she smiled at me, a tiny finger tracing the outline of my lip gently. "I see visions of the future, Bella. I catch glimpses of life-changing facts of everything, mostly in the lives of people around me." she whispered.

I felt my mouth tweak up in a smile, and I realised I wasn't surprised at all. Of course her power would have to be the most kick-ass of all, because she was just _that_ badass. "I bet you saw me coming from far away." I whispered back.

And Alice couldn't help but laugh. "Pretty much."

I was going to ask her more about this, but right now, I felt as if my need for information was pretty much full. All I could really feel was the gaping ache in my stomach, since I hadn't eaten since lunch and it was now close to ten o'clock. I could feel sudden exhaustion take it's toll on me, and I realised that all I really wanted to do was sleep. But hey, I was in a house with vampires? They don't sleep. Suddenly, the idea of Alice's sleepover was funny, because after all, I'd be the only one sleeping.

"Oh look at her, Alice!" Esme said then, shooting out of her seat, "She's tired. And she's probably hungry too!" shaking her head to herself, she shot her daughter a firm look. "I'm going to make her a sandwich, and after that, you're going to make sure that she sleeps. You can talk more tomorrow, she needs her rest."

And though I really didn't want to miss a single thing, I knew that Esme was right. I was going to have to sleep soon, because suddenly, my eyelids felt very heavy. The entire day's events came crashing down on me, as Esme left the room to go into the kitchen, and Alice pressed my head to her shoulder.

"I really should check her for injuries before you take her to your room, Alice." Carlisle softly said, and I pried my eyes open, glancing softly at him through my sleepy daze.

Alice stroked my cheek, "Do you hafta?" she whispered.

Carlisle sighed heavily, and I decided to make this easier for him. So I pushed myself away from Alice (was she my girlfriend? I'd have to talk to her about this tomorrow!), "I would really like that, Carlisle, if you don't mind."

Carlisle stood up as well, and offered me a gentle smile.

Alice pressed a kiss to my hand, before she let it go. "I'll be right up with your sandwich, Bella. You do need your sleep, we'll talk about everything tomorrow. Just the two of us."

And I couldn't help the small smile that was on my lips as I thought about that. Me. Alice. Alone. Tomorrow! I could hardly wait.

**x**

I could feel the sun shimmering on my face before I even opened my eyes. The prickle on my skin was nice and familiar, though it hadn't happened much often since I moved to Forks. I moaned lowly and turned over in the bed, puffing my pillow as I went. This was nice, comfortable. This bed was definitely softer than the one I had in my room, and I found that completely ridiculous since Alice informed me that vampires don't even sleep. But... I guess beds can be used for other things as well.

I couldn't help but smile to myself at the mental imagine inside my head. That wouldn't be too bad. Me and Alice and a bed. I heard myself moan again and stretched my legs. I'd had a pretty good night considering everything that had happened yesterday. After Carlisle made sure no bones were broken, I'd pretty much consumed my sandwich and dragged myself to bed. I hadn't even thought twice about sleeping in a house full of vampires, and honestly? Best sleep I ever had. It'd be nice though, to talk to Alice today. And be alone with her, too.

Figuring that I better get up soon, since everybody else would be doing whatever, I opened my eyes and sat up straight. I guess I should have been surprised that Alice was sitting by a desk, but I really wasn't. I actually think I would've been surprised if she hadn't been in the room.

She spun around in the desk chair and gave me a soft smile. "'Morning sleepyhead."

I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and though I probably wasn't my most attractive self right now, I knew it wouldn't matter to her (even if she was always fucking gorgeous, and it'd give me a inferiority complex someday...). "Hi."

She chuckled lowly and just smiled at me.

Hopping out of the bed, I padded across the floor in my bare feet. I felt absolutely comfortable, being with her like this, as if we'd done it a million times before. I just knew her so well now; everything seemed much better now that I knew. I'd known all along that she was something special, and I guess not knowing what had been a bigger unspoken dent in our relationship than I'd thought. But now that I knew, it just seemed as if there were no problems at all.

I placed a hand on her shoulder and peeked at the papers on the desk. "What are you doing?"

Her hand somehow found the lower part of my back. "I'm just drawing some dresses." she kindly informed me.

My eyes scanned the sketches in front of me, and I wasn't shocked to see that she was pretty damn good. Heck, half the clothes she wore, she probably made herself. Because Alice was just that awesome. I turned my eyes to her again then, and found that she was watching me. I couldn't help the blush that rose to my cheeks. "So," I murmured, "what did you do while I slept?"

Her eyes flickered from side to side for a second, before she answered me. "I went hunting." she said, and I could tell that she was worried I'd be mad that she left me alone here (which I wasn't at all), "I didn't want to leave you alone, but I had to hunt after last night, and I uhm – I was only gone an hour or so."

I chuckled and brushed my finger across her cheek. "Don't worry. I slept fine. Didn't notice a thing."

"You're so cool with all of this." she murmured, her hand finding mine, before she slowly intertwined our fingers.

Maybe I had been better with this than she'd expected. Or maybe I was just good with weird. But what could I do? I was so into her, I couldn't really see myself going anywhere, no matter what she was. It didn't matter to me, because I wanted to be with her, no matter where that lead me, and what it might change for me. I was sure Alice would be worth it. I sighed. "Well, what do you want me to do?"

Alice stood up then and pushed me towards the bed. "Sit down. I'll bring you some breakfast. You and I should talk, I know you want to, right?"

"I've got a few things on my mind." I ghostly whispered.

She held up a finger. "Stay put."

And just like that, she was out of the room with a swoosh. And I barely had time to rearrange the pillows and made a comfortable pile against the headboard and actually position myself there, before she was back, carrying juice, cereal and bread with cheese and jam on a tray.

I decided not to comment on the obvious fact that it took her merely thirty seconds, because I'd have to get used to that. It was pretty obvious that this speed thing, it was even faster than I'd first thought. They could barely be seen as they moved, and though I knew they could walk slowly (they did so at school!), I knew they wouldn't attempt to do so now that I knew about them. Of course when I was walking with them, they would, but moving around the house – they'd probably just be themselves. This was the only place they could do that after all. Instead I just smiled at her and reached for the piece of bread. "Why do you even have all this food in the house?" I questioned her, chewing slowly, "I mean – you didn't know I was coming? Or did you see me come?"

Alice chuckled. "Esme always shops!" she chipped, positioning herself at my feet, Indian style, "It's to keep up appearances. She's supposed to have five teenagers to take care of, so she needs to shop everyday to make it believable."

"Wow." I mumbled. That seemed like a lot of money wasted at nothing. But maybe vampires didn't care too much about money?

"I make sure we never run out." Alice replied to me with a soft smile. But when I just glanced at her, confused as to what she was talking about, she continued. "The stock market?" she laughed, "I see the changes. It's pretty awesome."

"Oh!" I couldn't help but laugh at that. Of course she'd make sure that they never ran out of money that way. It was pretty damn awesome to be honest.

I gulped down half of the juice and reached for the bowl of cereal. "So did you see me last night? In the woods?" I questioned her.

Alice got this weird look across her face and stared into the sheets of the bed. "I-" she paused and looked at me, "I've seen you, often, in the woods." she mumbled, huffing as she spoke. "I mean... I've had the same vision plenty of times, and I just, I didn't want you near the woods, because I saw you-"

I cocked an eyebrow. "You saw me what?"

"I saw you slip from a rock and fall down. You're always hurt pretty badly."

I felt my body tense, but I didn't say anything.

"And," she continued, clearly finding it difficult to tell me these things, because it'd been worrying her – obviously. "I just didn't know how to deal with it. So that's why I told you to stay out of the forest. But sometimes, I don't see your future, it just disappears, and it gets me worried!"

I blinked. "Why don't you see my future?"

She flashed me a tiny smile, "We figured it out, Carlisle and I." she laughed, "It's when you're with Jacob, I guess I don't see his kind, I mean, the shape shifters. Maybe I only see humans and vampires, I don't know. But when you go there, I don't see your future. So yesterday afternoon, you disappeared, and I got pissed, because I didn't want you near the woods. And then I can't see anything for a few hours, and suddenly, I see you getting out of your truck and I just – I got this shitty feeling in my stomach. So we went to find you."

I swallowed loudly. "Yup, I appreciate that."

"We knew those hikers were killed by other vampires." Alice said to me then, our eyes locking firmly. "We just didn't know what to do. We can't tell 'em not to hunt, they're allowed to." she shook her head, her short hair whipping slightly as she did so, "We just hoped they'd move along quickly, before it got out of hand. Apparently they've stayed put, though."

"They were three." I said to her, settling the spoon in the bowl, now that I'd killed edge of my hunger. "But the wolves destroyed one of them, Jake told me."

She nodded softly, her eyes watching me closely. She didn't reply, and I didn't know what to say, so instead I grabbed my spoon again and slurped down my cereal. It was nice, this thing. The two of us in her bed together like this. I didn't find it weird at all, to be this close to her. I still had many vampire related questions I needed to get out, but what I was most curious about, was the question of us? What were we exactly? I hoped to put a label on it today.

I swallowed the last bite of cereal and put the bowl back onto the tray. "Thanks for the food." I mumbled.

Alice perched her lips. "Don't mention it."

I blinked.

"So," Alice whispered then and fidgeted oddly with her hands (which was very weird, since Alice never fidgets, that something only Bellas do), "I need to say something to you – you just have to listen, OK?"

I nodded my head, "Okay."

"The proper thing would probably be to advice you to stay away from me," Alice begun, her eyes looking at me that way, the very serious way that just didn't fit her. And I could tell that she didn't really want to be saying these things, but that she felt as if she had to. "Edward will love me for saying this," she continued with a small grin, "but, Bella, I'm far too fond of you to say that to you. To be honest, I'd be heartbroken if you did decide to leave me."

And I wasn't going to. Because no way was I leaving, I was staying. No matter what happened, I just needed to be close to her. Perhaps she felt that the right thing was to say those words to me, but I also knew that she didn't mean them, that she didn't want me to go. And that was enough for me. If she wanted me with her, I'd be there.

I crawled across the mattress then, I was only in my boy's underwear and the shirt I'd been wearing yesterday, and sat down right in front of her, on my knees. "I'm not going." I whispered, my breath trailing across her skin, from her ear to her mouth, "I'm staying. Because I love you." I finished, and for good measure, I pecked her lips, once, twice. Just if she was worried, you know, that I didn't meant it or something.

Her topaz eyes were shining with love when they locked with mine. "Bella, you're formidable." she grinned, "I love you!"

"Alice Cullen, I don't care that you're a vampire," I whispered, pulling her body close to mine, so I could wrap my arms around her and hug her tight, "I wanna be with you."

When we pulled apart, Alice was grinning at me. "I don't know how this is going to work," she said to me, pushing a piece of my untameable hair behind my ear, "because you're going to age. I'm going to stay this way. I just know that – that I wanna try this out."

I nodded, "We'll see what happens."

"Good."

"Alright," I mumbled then and fell back onto the bed with a smile on my face (I looked like a lovesick fool, I just know it!). I was happy, truly very happy. I couldn't really understand how someone like Alice wanted to be with me, but apparently she did, so I wasn't going to go and comment on it. I just wanted to enjoy it. And learn more, because I had a lot of things to figure out. "so now that I know about you guys, so much makes sense to me now."

Alice giggled. "Yeah?"

"Yeah! Like," I searched my brain for random examples and sunk deeper into the soft mattress, "you know, how you're all so fucking gorgeous. Why you never attend PE, and why you're smart. You guys must've, like, I dunno, repeated high school a bunch of times."

Alice laid down next to me on the bed, our shoulders brushing. "We have. We usually stay in the same place through high school, maybe longer. Carlisle and Esme look way too young to have kids our age anyway. People don't really question it too much, we tend to scare people off." she paused, staring at the ceiling, "I mean, obviously, our beauty is supposed to draw people in, but there's also something about us that keeps people on the edge."

"I don't see it." I whispered, because honestly? I'd never been on the edge with her. I'd always just been intrigued. So whatever it was that they had to scare people off with – it didn't work on me.

Alice batted her eyelashes and giggled, "Well, there must be something wrong with you then, obviously."

I laughed. "Obviously."

She whispered then, "Vampires never fall out of love, you know."

"They don't?"

"_No_."

I felt my chest tighten. The way she said that, so securely, so full of confirmation and care for me. I just knew that it was true; she was going to love me, no matter what happened. Even if I'd decided that I couldn't be a part of this, she would have still loved me. "So Carlisle and Esme, did they fall in love after he changed her?"

She nodded, "Yeah. It was pretty evident, from day one. At least that's what Edward says. Carlisle didn't change Esme knowing they'd be together, it just happened that way."

"What about Rosalie and Emmett?" I whispered. I knew very well, that if anyone was in this house with us, they could probably hear this conversation no matter if I whispered or not. Because their hearing was heightened, or whatever it was that Carlisle told me last night. But I didn't really care. Or maybe I did a little, but I could always hope that they'd grown accustomed to not listening in on each other all the time.

"Rose knew that she wanted Emmett to be hers." Alice explained to me, and somehow, her fingers ended up near my hand, and she reached for it, "She saved him from a bear attack, he would've died. She carried him all the way back so Carlisle could change him for her. She just _knew_ that Em was _it_."

I couldn't help the blush that rose to my cheeks. _That_ was romantic. I couldn't imagine how hard it must have been for her to carry him back like that, hurt, possibly with blood everywhere. "Sometimes you just know immediately."

Alice squeezed my hand, and I knew she agreed. "I'm pretty sure Jazz has found his partner too. They're so in love. Her name's Kate, she's cool. She comes to visit a lot. At some point, I guess one of them will have to leave their family behind so they can really be together, but for now – it works."

I sucked in a deep breath. "So what about you and Edward? Don't he-? Have you, I mean..." I bit my lip, not sure how I wanted to phrase this. "Have you _been_ with other vampires before you met me?"

Alice chuckled, and I knew that she had. I shouldn't feel jealous, I just couldn't help it. Of course there'd been others, after all, she'd been around for so long. But it still didn't erase the fact that I sort of wished I'd been the only one. "Jasper and I were... together, sorta." she confined in me. I didn't really know what to say to that, because that was very surprising. "We were together before we joined this family, we met before, like I told you last night. And it was good, it just – it was never love. We both knew that as soon as he met Kate. _That_ was love. It was evident to everybody."

I guess I shouldn't feel worried he'd steal her away from me again. He was happy in this new relationship with this Kate vampire. I should be happy, too. Alice wasn't going to be swept away by his southern charm. "And Edward?" I lowly questioned.

She shrugged her shoulders. "We don't know. Part of me thinks he might be asexual. It's never interested him. Or maybe he was too young when he was changed, he was only seventeen." she closed her eyes for a second, her lashes fluttering closed, "We tried dating, Edward and I," she continued, turning her head so our eyes could meet, "after Jasper and I broke up. We knew it'd make Esme so happy, she kept hinting it. It'd mean that all of her children had found someone. But Edward and I? Seriously? Not a good match."

I couldn't help but giggle at that one. Because the mental image of Edward with Alice didn't make me jealous at all. There was just something about it that didn't add up. I'd seen them together, they were like real siblings; the way they spoke to each other, they way they spoke of each other – the way they interacted. It was all so very real and caring. But only like siblings. Truly.

"We ditched that idea pretty quickly!" Alice said, laughing with me.

I was still chuckling a little, when I leaned slightly forward, so our noses were touching. "And now you're dating me... a human. A female nonetheless."

Alice sighed heavily. "Maybe I was gay all along."

"Maybe so." I grinned. Or maybe I just brought it out in her? Who knew. Who cared? I surely didn't. I got her, didn't I?

I felt her breath on my lips, before I felt her actual lips. Her eyes were locked to mine, tightly, and our fingers were intertwined, our bodies pretty much brushed against each other. I could feel the fluttering in my stomach; that feeling of nervousness and anticipation. How my fingers itched to pull her even closer and kiss her and touch her. Her lips graced mine slowly, painfully so. And I could feel my throat tighten as I kissed her back, more eagerly, as I had no way of holding back how I felt for her. Our lips brushed against each other quickly, and I felt my eyes close, and my hand move from hers to her shoulder, clasping on to her tightly. Her fingers tickled my stomach, and I sucked in a deep breath.

Alice's tongue pried my lips apart, and I felt the butterflies flap their wings even more, as our tongues met for a duel of dominance. It was my first time kissing like this, but I just knew exactly what to do. I pushed her over, just a gentle shove, and she was on her back on the bed, my body halfway sprawled across hers. Her hands were on my lower back, appropriately positioned just above my ass, and I clung onto her, never wanting to let her go. Prying her lips from mine, she trailed kisses down my chin and neck, sucking very gently on the skin there, before she kissed the same path backwards, our lips connecting again. I breathed into her and pulled away, biting down on her lower lip, before I opened my eyes to meet hers.

The initial shock of her ink black eyes had me on my back next to her within a second. I was breathing heavily, and Alice was lying there next to me, shaking and forcing her lips together with restraint.

"Are you okay?" I breathlessly whispered, still trying to gain control of my breathing.

Alice swallowed loudly, before she sat up and looked down at me, her eyes frightening me in a slight way. I was so used to her golden eyes; the eyes I loved so much, and this new look on her, it was slightly scary. She reached a finger to each a temple and rubbed them slowly. "I'm sorry," she mumbled, "that was very hot, Bella."

I bit my lip. "But...?"

"But nothing!" she placed a hand on my stomach and I shuddered slightly at the cold feel against my heated skin. "I just – wanting you like this, it makes me that much more aware of everything around me, and I guess that my natural instincts will always try to surface."

I didn't know what this meant exactly. Something about her wanting to be more of a vampire or something. I guess I could understand that, I mean, everything was pulsating through me quicker, and I bet she could smell and feel my arousal more than a human would be able to. I could see that this would be hard on her. I just hoped it wouldn't stop her from kissing me in the future like this, because that would seriously suck. "What does this mean for us?" I gently wished to know.

Alice smiled warmly at me. "Nothing I hope. I'm not gonna stop kissing you, I'll just – I'll have to be careful, and if it does get out of hand... I will push you away from me."

I blinked at her all innocently. Did she insinuate that I would let it get out of hand? Yeah, maybe I would... I was wildly attracted to her right now, anyway. I would totally have tried to take it further if our make-out session had continued maybe an hour or so. I wasn't exactly experienced in this area, but I knew what I wanted, and I wanted all of her.

"You should get dressed." Alice said then, hopping out of bed quickly. "I'll find you some of Esme's to wear, you're roughly the same size. I think she'd be thrilled if we joined them outside, after all, it's not often the sun shines in small town Forks."

I couldn't help but laugh as I watched her skip out of the room and down the hall soundlessly. Man, everything felt sort of unreal to me. But this was something I could totally get used to. I knew that tomorrow we had school and everything would be more or less normal (as normal as it can be, once one finds out that her girlfriend is a vampire); we'd have classes, homework, assignments. But it was going to be good, because I'd have Alice all the way through. Of course there was the question of our relationship and whether or not we were going to announce it at school or try to hide it. It didn't really matter to me. Because honestly?

_I just want everyone to know she's mine. No matter what they'll say. _I huffed to myself and got out of the comfy bed, when Alice reappeared in the room with a pair of jeans and a tight sweater. _Jess can even be prissy about it. I know Angela will be cool, she always is. _

"Sorry I took so long," Alice teased me, before opening a door in her room (which turned out to be a huge walk-in closet), "I couldn't decide which sweater to give you."

And I just hurled my shirt at her, because damn, she was cute when she tried to be a tease.

We went downstairs roughly ten minutes later. Alice had been an ass and dressed before I even manage to slip one leg into Esme's jeans, and after that she'd been sitting in her chair, watching me with huge, lustful eyes. She had her hand in mine, as we went downstairs. Everything was quiet, but I could hear the distant sounds of her family in their backyard outside. It did seem like such a lovely day, and I couldn't wait to see them in all their naturalness.

Alice pushed me gently against a wall as we stood in the hallway, right next to where I'd slipped off my jacket and shoes last night. "So now you'll see why we – conveniently – are always out 'camping'-" the air quotes didn't go unnoticed by me, "-when the sun shines here in Forks."

We took on our shoes (Alice actually owned a pair of sneakers – who knew?) and let our jackets be. I didn't know what she meant about the sun, but Emmett had said something about their skin and I couldn't wait to see. The second we stepped outside, I realised why it was that their 'camping trips' were always scheduled when the sun was out.

Alice jumped the steps onto the grass and landed gracefully there, right beside the shadow of the house, but just in the sun. And I felt my mind go completely blank as she did a ballerina twirl. Her skin – it was like a million of tiny diamonds, sparkling as the sun shone down on it. Her face was glowing as she stood there, and I couldn't tear my eyes off of her. Her bare arms sent reflections everywhere when she moved her hands, begging me to come closer. And I followed her, my eyes moving from her tiny form, to the other six members of her family, who were all somewhere in the backyard.

Emmett and Jasper were wrestling each other dramatically, right beside the river that cut their garden from the forest. They wore nothing but shorts, and it was truly a mesmerising sight to see the way their skin glowed and the way it was teasing their reflections in the water. Rosalie was reading a book; she just sat there, in the middle of the garden in her jeans and tube top; her blonde hair was a breathtaking contrast to the diamonds on her skin. Edward was bouncing a baseball ball into the air, throwing it way above the top of the trees, before catching it again; he wasn't even looking, but watching his brothers as they fought. Carlisle worked on his laptop, and next to him was Esme, huddled together in a garden chair.

She waved us over, and Alice bounced off, immediately doing small pirouettes and flick-flacks across the grass, and I realised, as I watched, that this was their element; that this was what they were supposed to be doing. All that stuff at school, that was just a necessity to lead the life that they wanted. This? This was truly home to them, and they could be themselves, whatever that meant.

Esme patted the chair next to her, and I softly took a seat. "So this is us." she said to me, her gentle eyes searching mine with care and adoration all at the same time.

I offered her a gentle smile. I was growing to love this woman so much already. It was going to take longer with some of Alice's other family members, but Esme was just so lovable. "I can see that. It's great."

"Did you and Alice get a chance to talk yet?" she softly asked, but I could tell by the way that she was looking at me, that she'd heard every word we just exchanged upstairs. The others probably hadn't; they'd been focused on whatever it was that they were doing, but Esme – she'd wanted to know. Because she knew how much I meant to Alice.

I couldn't help that my smile got even bigger, because I could get used to this. "Yeah. Yeah we did."

I was pretty sure that Esme's reciprocal smile was even bigger than mine.

* * *

_That was a hell of a lot more fluff than I mostly care for. But this chapter was more about that anyway, them talking and stuff, figuring things out. Even though it wasn't nearly as dramatic as the last chapter, I still hope that you enjoyed it very much. I had some troubles figuring out how to about this, since what went down in this chapter, all of you guys already know. I just wanted Bella to learn these things differently than she does in the books, so it wasn't just a repeat of information, but a repeat of information in a new way. If that even makes sense, ha ;-) _

_Oh. And Jasper and Kate? Yes. I pondered about whether or not to just create an original character, but I'm very much against doing that in this fandom, since Stephenie Meyer has given us so many different ones to play with already. So I thought a lot about it and settled for Kate (she will most likely make an appearance in this fiction, if I stick to my plan), because well – she has some kick-ass powers, after all! _

_And let me just (once more) say how I love family gatherings where all the Cullens are involved! It's so fun and interesting to write! Plus, I just love them all way too much to leave anyone out the way Meyer has a tendency to do :)  
_

_So yeah! Please tell me what you thought of this. This chapter was up to my usual standard length wise, and I hope the next chapters will be so as well. _

_**Disclaimer; **I don't own Twilight. _


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve **

I felt like I was walking on air that Monday, when I pushed the doors into the school open and strode inside. Had I been in some stupid teenage drama or poorly written musical, my steps would have followed the beat of some lame pop-tune, while my giant smile would have ensured everybody that I was most definitely in love. I felt like flying, because the feeling in the pit of my stomach, it could not be described. I was so happy. There was no other way to put it, no fancy words, or outgrown clichés. It was truly happy. And it was all because of Alice.

Thankfully, I wasn't in either drama or musical, so I only looked slightly ridiculous as I skipped (yes, Bellas do skip occasionally, it happens when we're extremely happy about something) down the hall. No one noticed me much, as I had always preferred it, except my friends who could see a change in me immediately.

Mike offered me a crooked smile as I stopped next to his locker. "What's with you today?"

Pulling myself out of the little universe I'd been in since Saturday night, I decided that it was probably the time to start acting like Bella Swan again. "I'm sorry," I grinned (that I could not stop myself from doing!), "I've just had a very good weekend."

He chuckled to himself. "Well that's good. You hang out with Jacob more?"

I should probably have been slightly worried with the hint of jealousy in his tone when he mentioned Jacob, but it hardly registered in my brain at all. Jacob, well – Jacob and I had had a very interesting conversation on the phone last night after I drove my truck home to cook dinner for my father. Charlie hadn't really asked me about Alice or anything regarding the day before, which was nice, and I appreciated it, because Charlie and I never really talked much about anything. But Jacob and I did, and he'd called to 'make sure I was okay' as he'd put it.

I wasn't really sure what he meant, I mean, what was his definition of 'okay'? All I really wanted to do was burst my news out to him, because he was my oldest and closest friend in the entire world, but I also knew that if I told _him_ – a werewolf – that I was dating a vampire, all hell would break loose. So I opted for the safe thing and instead just told him about Victoria and James and how they were still lurking around in the woods of Forks. He hadn't been too thrilled to hear so, but he said Sam had had his suspicions, because they'd still be picking up the scents. Jacob had ensured me that they were now working even harder to try and catch the two remaining vampires, so no one got hurt.

I did realise that I'd have to tell him eventually about me and Alice. But we hadn't mentioned anything about the news I received that Saturday, so maybe Jacob just wanted to pretend that all of it hadn't happened. It was okay with me, for the moment, because I seriously did not want to get into it right now. We could deal with it later. Later, when I was more settled in my relationship with Alice, and he'd had a chance to get comfortable with the idea of me knowing that he was not a regular guy.

I shrugged my shoulders at Mike, pulling myself back into the real world. "We hung out Saturday. I was with Alice yesterday."

"Alice Cullen?" Mike questioned, now sounding very interested.

I couldn't hide the smile that came onto my face then. "Yeah, we hang out. She's awesome."

"Just awesome?"

We both turned to find Alice standing there right next to us, having showed up completely unannounced and silently. I knew why, but hadn't I known, it would have definitely freaked me out. I could tell that Mike felt slightly disorientated right now, to be honest. I smiled warmly at her, letting my eyes take in the beautiful sight in front of me. She was wearing a stylish attire of black and purple, and across her arm she'd draped her famous red raincoat. She looked entirely adorable.

She tapped her foot against the floor impatiently. "Bella!" she hissed with a little pout. "I was under the impression that you found me more than just awesome. I didn't give you all those kisses yesterday for nothing, you know!"

I guess my insecurities about a public relationship had never really crossed Alice's mind. I don't really know why I thought they would have. Alice didn't get insecure, not about anything. Definitely not about love and our relationship. It was pretty evident, with the way she was eyeing me up and down now, a huge grin on her face, that she wasn't going to hide behind silly façades and pretend that we were only friends. I knew it'd case trouble from some people, after all, Forks is a small town and everything just slightly scandalous is made into a huge deal, but I couldn't actually bring myself to care. I wanted to be with Alice, with everything that came with it. Our love wouldn't have been traditional had we been male and female, because she would still have been a vampire, and I would still have been a regular girl. To tell the truth, getting crap from the population of Forks was the least of my worries. I was more worried about our future and what would happen after school and such things.

I wanted to take Alice to the dance, and I wanted to hold her hand and peck her lips. Even at school. So everyone would just have to deal with it. At my high school in Phoenix, it wasn't considered scandalous to be gay. Plenty of people were; they slept with whoever they wanted to, boys or girls. It hadn't mattered, because it was okay there. But here in Forks, things like that didn't just happen. Two girls dating, going to the dance together, that would definitely cause some gossiping in the small homes of close-minded people.

"You're absolutely incredible." I was sure to inform her.

Mike eyes moved from Alice to me as if they were following a very intense tennis match. "Arh... are you two, like, dating now?" he questioned, his knuckles turning white from where he was clutching his open locker tightly.

Alice pecked her lips to my cheek before she spoke up. "While the details aren't exactly sorted out yet, I will most certainly inform you Mike, that yes, we are together. And I won't attempt to hide it."

I grinned to him like some complete idiot. "What she said."

Mike had to think about that for a few more seconds, before he swallowed loudly. "Cool."

I wasn't sure if he really thought it was cool, but I was most certain, that – when Alice dragged me down the hall by the hand – he was texting Jessica to inform her of the news. And as soon as Jessica knew, so did the rest of my friends and probably the rest of the school. I wasn't quite sure if I was ready to the third inquisition Jessica would put me through during Spanish, but I agreed with Alice about our relationship. We shouldn't try to hide it. Which meant I'd have to tell my father tonight, because as soon as it was out in school, someone would tell someone, and word would get back to my father. It was a small town, after all. And news like these? Yup, I was pretty sure he wanted to hear them from me.

Alice dragged me to her locker and pushed me against it with little force. She smiled at me through her long lashes. "I was thinking about you through the night." she whispered, her small hands placed on each side of my body, effectively boxing me in.

"I was dreaming about you." I mumbled, my eyes locked securely to hers. Even in a crowded hallway at school, Alice had the ability to make me feel completely out of my head. It was like I couldn't even think when I was with her like this; I felt so different, yet so completely the same. That ridiculously awkward teenage girl who'd somehow managed to snap the hottie of the school. God, even in my thoughts, my current situation seemed like something out of a bad teenage movie. Except for the fact that Alice wasn't a cheerleader, she was a vampire. Which led to entirely other dimensions in our relationship.

Alice tiptoed up to place a short kiss on my lips. "So I'll be at your place after school!" she announced happily and shoved me aside, so she could open her locker and get her books for the first two periods. "We have the matter to discuss of our project which is, in fact, due in two days, and I will need to meet Charlie again under these circumstances."

I felt my throat tighten at everything she said. First off, I couldn't begin to imagine how we'd manage to spend as much time together as we had, without actually even starting properly on our project, and second off, she wanted to meet Charlie under _which_ circumstances? The circumstances in which she was my girlfriend, as in not just a female friend, but a female person I dated? This would be one heck of an afternoon.

"You think that's a good idea?" I managed to choke out. I was starting to panic. I knew I had to tell Charlie myself before it got to him somehow else, but I hadn't actually even begun to imagine how on earth I'd get it out on the table. It just seemed like such a completely uncomfortable situation. And though my father had adored Alice when she stayed for dinner that day, I was pretty certain that he'd feel a bit differently as soon as he heard that I was now kissing the small pixie.

Alice smacked her locker shut and stared up at me again. "I'm certain, Bella. You need to tell him, and I'll be there when you do. Don't worry, I know I'll convince him that this is the best thing for you." and with those words, she strutted down the hallway to get to her first period, and I couldn't help the tiny smile on my lips. That was _so_ unfair. She knew these things, and I'd just have to wait.

I almost jumped when I realised that the warning bell had already sounded, and I was late for Spanish. Luckily I had my textbook in my book bag, so I scurried down the hallway and into the classroom, thankful that the teacher hadn't arrived yet. Most of the seats were taken already, but I saw Jessica wave me over, as she removed her book bag from the spare desk next to hers. She'd saved me a seat.

_Oh,_ I thought to myself as I made my way across the floor, _great. _

And 'luckily' for me, the teacher gave us questions for the text we'd prepared at home, and Jessica and I, we always worked together, so there we sat, next to each other, and there were murmurs in Spanish and English all around us, so Jessica found this the perfect opportunity to question me. She was practically giddy, I could tell, when she opened up her dictionary and pretended to flip through it in search of a word.

"It's time now, Bella," she whispered, looking at me across the spine of the book, "_spill._"

I felt my cheeks burn with redness. "About what?" I whispered, absent-mindedly drawing doodles on the margin of my notebook. I had a feeling we weren't going to get much Spanish done today, so I'd just have to suck it up and talk to her. And, like with Charlie, it was better if Jessica heard it from me so it would be the true story and not some lame rumour. Except I couldn't very well tell her everything, since it involved various werewolves and a family of vegetarian vampires. (I smiled at the thought of that term – vegetarian vampires. Alice had told me about their little inside joke yesterday, I found it completely hilarious).

"Is it true?" Jessica whispered, her voice hissing with determination, as she lowered the dictionary even further, "I got a text from Mike saying that you and Alice Cullen are..." she swallowed loudly, "together?"

I just looked at her.

"Well?" she continued to press. "Are you?"

I knew it'd come to this, so I shuffled a bit closer to her. I wasn't one for gossip, but I did consider Jessica one of my closest friends even though she was the gossip girl of Forks. "We're dating." I whispered to her, and her eyes went wide in surprise. "I like her a lot, Jess, and I really don't wanna mess this up."

Jessica's jaw was practically at the table as she gaped at me. "You're in love with her."

Apparently I was _that_ transparent, and my love for Alice must have oozed out of me, but I didn't even mind. If we were going to be public about this, everybody might as well know just how completely in love with Alice I was. "I am." I confirmed with a small nod.

"But you lied to me." Jessica pointed out (I wasn't sure when I'd lied to her, but I was sure she was going to tell me), "When we asked whether or not you going with Alice to the dance meant that you were a couple. You said that it didn't."

I recalled that conversation. It had been awkward and during lunch in the cafeteria. But at that point, I hadn't lied to her. Because at that point, I hadn't been with Alice like I was now. We'd just been friends. I offered Jessica an apologetic smile and told her just that.

She looked defeated. "Oh well..." she mumbled, "I guess it's cool then. I just can't believe you're actually dating a Cullen! And Alice nonetheless. We all thought for sure that you and Edward had something going on!"

I couldn't help but giggle lowly to myself. Of course they'd think that. Because every time a girl and a guy found common interests and actually started having a genuine friendship, everybody always made it out to be this huge deal, as if boys and girls couldn't be just friends. Which sucked completely. Because Edward and I? We were practically the best of friends. Heck, I'd even say that he was my best friend, because Alice could no longer hold that position. "Of course you thought that. But I told you, Jess, Edward and I are just friends."

She sighed dramatically. "Well yeah. But seriously! Alice Cullen! I don't understand how you can be alone with her. I know she's tiny and all, but she seems a bit scary to me." she paused. "They all do."

I reached for Jessica's hand and awkwardly patted it. "They're not scary," I told her in a whisper, "They're completely normal. Just like you and me."

"Except they're much more good-looking!" Jessica piped up, and after a fit of giggles, she continued to ask me about every detail in mine and Alice's relationship. There wasn't much to spill yet, but she seemed satisfied with what I could give her. Our first kiss and the murmured 'I love you' I'd told her in the weekend. This seemed to throw her completely off track for a second, but I was happy to tell her all these details, because honestly, I'd been scared of what she was going to think of me. If she was going to hate me for being with another girl, or if she was going to be supportive. It seemed to me that even though she was a little freaked out, it was more because of the fact that I was dating a Cullen, not because said Cullen was a girl. Which pleased me, because I knew that I'd certainly need friends when the truth came out. I was positive that some people at this school wouldn't be thrilled about the new lesbian couple in Forks.

When the bell rang and signalled the end of class, I bent my head to my notebook, and couldn't help but smile when I realised what I'd been drawing without paying much attention. I'd clumsily written Alice's name across the paper and doodled small hearts and stars around it.

I smacked my notebook close and went to my next class, which was History with Eric. I knew he wasn't going to question me the way Jessica had, so it would be nice to just have a quiet lesson while jotting down dates. It'd give me time to ponder my thoughts, because our teacher rarely called on anybody. He just talked in his boring monotone voice, and I was pretty happy with that today. It'd give me time to wonder how on Earth we were going to get Charlie to like the idea of Alice and I – together.

When I shuffled to my regular seat, I stopped in my tracks. There, right on the table, where I'd been about to throw my book bag, lay a red rose with a ribbon around it, that had a small note attached to it. I had never considered myself as a romantic girl, but this gesture – it was just too sweet. I dropped my bag to the floor and reached for the rose, completely ignoring the whispers around me. Apparently, roses on desks were not seen very often at Forks High. I turned the note over in my hand.

_Bella, love like ours come along once in a life time. Alice._

It was completely corny and yet so completely true. There was no way I'd ever find a love like Alice's again, because I could feel it in the way she looked at me. I was the Esme to her Carlisle. We were meant to be together, and vampires never fall out of love. And even if humans do, I was pretty certain that Alice would be all I was ever going to need. If she'd let me, of course. But I was pretty sure she would.

I took a seat and sniffed the rose gently, before placing it on the table and taking out my books. Eric took a seat next to me and glanced at the flower.

"Do I want to know?"

I grinned at him. "I'm pretty sure you don't."

"Cool." he mumbled, before he turned his attention towards his books as well.

During lunch, I was grilled completely. Lauren did not offer me one look and I was pretty certain this meant that she was not cool with my choice of a partner. I didn't even care, though, I'd never cared much for Lauren. But the rest of my friends asked me just about everything, and though Jessica had heard the story before, she gushed completely when I hesitantly told them about last Saturday.

I kept throwing small glances at Alice from my seat. I had her in plain view, and I could see that she was grinning like a mad woman, while the rest of her siblings chatted and pretended to eat their lunch. She was listening to every word being said at our table, and though I'd like to tell her to butt out and stop listening in, I knew this was her having her fun. Which was okay with me, the least I could do was bring some comedy into her life.

After lunch I had Biology with Edward, which was always nice. I excelled in Biology, I always had, and with Edward next to me, the class was pretty much spent talking about everything and nothing. We talked a little about the work we had in front of us, and quickly finished it. We couldn't very well risk talking about the things I really wanted to talk more about (vampires), in case someone actually heard us. But we could talk about Alice and I, and there were a few things I wanted to know about their family, but I couldn't get myself to ask Alice. I just didn't want to upset her or worry her, even though I knew Alice wouldn't think much of it; she was so light-hearted and took everything easily. But I just didn't want to ask her in case she took it more personally than I thought she would.

But Edward would probably not be offended by the question, because I knew that he and Rosalie didn't always see eye-to-eye either. So that's why I casually brought it up in our conversation. Just sort of nonchalantly asked him if he knew why Rosalie didn't like me much. (I knew she was probably listening in on this conversation from her classroom down the hall, where she had French, but I didn't really care).

Edward grinned at me. "Really Bella? You think Rosalie doesn't like you?"

"I _know _she doesn't like me." I scoffed, because it was pretty evident that that was the truth. She hadn't said one kind word to me the entire weekend, so I was sort of used to it by now. It'd just be a lot more pleasurable to hang with Alice at her house if I didn't have to fear Rosalie's wrath every second.

"She likes you, Bella." Edward was sure to inform me, his fingers gracing mine gently. "She thinks you're great, and she likes that you make Alice so happy. And," he licked his lips, "she's just worried about what will happen now that you know our secret. It has nothing to do with you personally."

I squeezed my eyes together and stared at him in disbelief. The attacks I'd received this weekend had definitely seemed personal to me. "She snaps at me all the time." I firmly told him, my voice hard. "And she's never said one kind word to me. Not even 'hello'."

Edward continued to grin at me. "That's no different from how she treats everyone. She snaps at all of us, that's just who she is. She still doesn't like me very much." he shook his head and grinned, lowering his voice so I had to lean in closer, "She says 'You bet your ass I don't, you idiot. And tell Bella to stop whining, I like her just fine'."

I couldn't help but blush lightly. "She does? You do?" I confusingly murmured, not knowing whether or not to direct my question at Edward or Rosalie herself.

Edward waited a second before nodding. "It takes years for her to warm up to people. She's still not cool with Kate, Jasper's girlfriend. It'll take a while before she warms up to you too, but in the end, it'll all be good."

"Thank you, Rosalie." I whispered, knowing she was still listening in on our conversation.

There was a silence between Edward and I for a few minutes, while he scribbled across our project paper, and I was consumed in thoughts about what I'd just learned. I was very happy to know that Rosalie didn't despise me as much as I'd thought she did. It had worried me the entire weekend, because everyone else had been so nice to me and treated me as a part of the family already, but Rosalie had hissed at me and shot me dirty looks, and only when Esme was near to scold her, did she pretend to not want to murder me. But I was happy to know that that was generally how she treated everybody. I'd just have to work my way into her good graces as quickly as I could.

"By the way," Edward whispered, when there were five minutes left before the bell rang and I'd have to attend PE as the last class of the day, "Alice says you'll have to skip Gym today, because you need to figure out what to do about your project and about Charlie."

My eyes moved from the table to his and I felt the butterflies move in my stomach. "Really?"

"Yes." he huskily smiled and slowly started packing the books into his bag again. "And also," he continued to inform me, "I feel the need to tell you that Alice is planning a shopping spree this weekend. With her, Rose and Esme. She wants to buy you a dress for the dance." he paused and I could feel my heart beat in worry, "I know how much you hate shopping, so I thought I should warn you."

My heart was beating rapidly as I clutched my book to my chest. I could practically already feel sweat trailing down my back in worry at what I'd most likely have to endure. I wasn't going to go shopping with the female Cullens. I didn't even want a dress. Even if I was going with Alice to the dance, I'd planned on wearing my usual jeans and a t-shirt. Alice would look more stunning than me anyway, so what was the point? Besides, I'd never been able to rock a dress properly. "There's no way in hell I'm going shopping with her." I spat at Edward, just as the bell rung.

He teasingly ruffled my hair. "If you say so." he mumbled, before he was out of the classroom, leaving me to myself.

I could not believe that Alice actually thought I'd go shopping with her. Didn't she know me at all? _Yeah she does, _I told myself in my thoughts, as I made my way out of the school and towards my truck. I dodged Mike and a few other classmates, before hopping into my car, waiting for Alice to show. There was no reason to just stand there and alert every teacher and student in the parking lot that I was going to skip PE. _She might know me, but she's still going to force me to do this. _

Approximately thirty seconds later, Alice opened the car door and jumped in next to me. "Hi." she mumbled, and I could immediately tell that something was wrong with her. Her head was downcast and she didn't look at me when she placed her bag next to mine on the seat between us.

I turned on the ignition and moved my head to look at her. "Something wrong?"

She didn't answer, but turned to stare out of the window instead, so I decided to just get us safely out of the parking lot without bumping other cars. I figured she'd tell me soon, because it wasn't like Alice to keep anything inside for very long. She was a happy spirit, so she'd be miserable in this state for more than five minutes.

And I was absolutely right, because as I drove us down the main street of Forks towards the forest, she turned her head to look at me. "Bella?" she whispered gently, and I averted my eyes from the road to meet hers quickly, "Don't you love me at all?"

My eyes were straight on the road, but I cocked an eyebrow anyway. What was she getting at? She knew I loved her! Why would she even presume otherwise? "What?" I huffed, truly confused, "Alice, how can you even ask that? You know I love you."

"Then why is there no way in hell you're going shopping with me?" she piped, her tiny bell-like voice ringing between us in the small cab of my truck.

I spluttered and felt the need to roll my eyes. That was it? That was what she was so down about? Of course it would be, she was Alice Cullen after all. "Alice!" I couldn't help but grin, "Is that what this is about? It's not that I don't wanna spend time with you, I just don't really wanna try on dresses all day and..." I trailed off, tapping my fingers against the steering wheel as I parked my car against the curb, leaving room for my father's police car in the driveway. I turned to meet her big eyes.

"But it's the dance!" she argued, squirming in her seat, "I want us to look fabulous together! I want our dresses to match. Please Bella!" she stuck out her bottom lip and pouted to me in a way that was truly unfair. How could anyone – ever – say no to a face like that?

I wiped a piece of my hair out of my eyes and sighed heavily. "Alice, I don't really wear dresses. I look horrible in dresses." I tried to convince her, even though I knew I'd pretty much lost the battle.

She pouted even more. "Bella..."

I closed my eyes for a second and felt myself break into a grin. "Alright, I'll go with you, Alice." she squealed and clapped her hands. "But!," I added with a very serious look, "I have the right to veto dresses. You'll have to find something black for me. Deal?"

"Deal!" Alice happily smiled and wrapped her arms around me tightly, pulling me into a comfortable hug. I breathed in the scent of her hair and tightened my arms around her as well.

Our eyes locked, and I wanted to kiss her badly, but it would probably be a lot more comfortable if we went inside. The next time that such a moment would occur today (because I knew for certain it would), we'd be on either my bed or the couch downstairs. "We better get inside." I breathed, before I pulled back.

The both of us grabbed our things and we went inside the house. We decided to work in the living room. We had a lot we needed to sort through before we had to present the work to the class. For starters, it'd be a good idea if I could even remember what the poem was about, but everything besides Alice had skipped my mind lately. I wasn't even sure if we could even manage to do all of this in such short time, but I hoped Alice had some bright idea. It'd been relying on her a lot lately, but I knew she didn't mind.

Alice sat Indian style on the couch and gave me a huge smile. "So!" she brightly smiled, "We're in a bit of a hurry with this project, I don't actually think we'll be able to do anything remotely like Ms. Righte wanted us to."

I bit my lip. "Then what do you suggest we do?"

"I suggest we wing it!" Alice giggled, throwing her arms behind her head and falling backwards into the soft cushion of the couch. "I know the poem by heart, if you study yours, I'm sure we can read it dramatically and she'll be quite pleased."

I stretched my legs out and playfully nudged her with my left foot. "We're supposed to do something _other_ than just reading it." I felt the need to point out for her, though I knew that she knew this.

Alice blinked at me. "Yes, but now you're being silly, Bella! If we read it to each other, it's not just us reading it to the class, is it?" she smiled at me, and I felt myself blush under the intensity of her stare, "Besides, I feel a strange affinity with that poem regarding you and our current situation. I'm sure Ms. Righte will be pleased with this. After all, she loves me!"

I wasn't going to win this argument, and I didn't really want to. If we didn't actually have to work on our project, there were so many other endless possibilities for things we could do. I licked my lips subconsciously. Maybe ending what we almost started in the car would be good...

Alice grinned wickedly at me and with a flash, she was no longer sitting against the sofa, but her arms were on either side of my body as she held herself above me, her face hovering mere inches from mine. "Winging it gives us time for _much more_ pleasant activities..." she huskily whispered, before her lips travelled from my cheek to my mouth.

Kissing her again was definitely just as amazing as it had been the first few times. We hadn't exactly kissed much so far, but it was definitely something that I could easily get used to. Alice was very skilled with her mouth, and though I had no practice whatsoever, she didn't seem to complain about what I could do. Our lips sought contact, and my hands had a will of their own as they teased her sides, her waist, before travelling up her backside and into her hair. I wanted badly to pull her closer, on top of me, but I was positive that if she landed on top of me, I would go absolutely crazy and let my hands into much more compromising positions.

Alice turned us over then, and pulled me down on top of her, her hands tangled in my hair, as our lips kept caressing each other. Mouths were pried open and tongues started fighting. I yearned to touch every corner of her mouth; my tongue was scratching against her tongue, her teeth, her cheeks and her the roof of her mouth. She was making these amazing small murmurs of joy and I removed my mouth from hers and trailed kisses down her beautiful face to the base of her neck. Latching my mouth on it, she purred loudly and I grinned to myself.

I was getting pretty good at this pretty quickly.

"Bella," her small voice rang wonderfully in my ears and I detached myself from her neck and looked up to meet her eyes, completely out of breath. She was breathing too, but she was stunning as she looked at me, her black eyes clouded with lust and feelings. "Bella, things are going really fast between us."

I breathed out heavily. I knew she was right. Even though I physically longed to be with Alice, to have every part of her, I also knew that I wasn't ready for that kind of thing yet. I'd never had a boyfriend or girlfriend before, and we were only three days in. And I was thankful that Alice seemed to know this about me, that she seemed to just _know _that I wasn't ready for that kind of intimacy yet. And she seemed quite contend with just kissing as well.

"Sorry." I sheepishly grinned, falling onto her body with my full weight, knowing it wouldn't crush her in any way.

She tugged me closer, one hand tangled in my long brown hair, the other resting limply on my backside. "It's okay, I want to be with you, badly. I just don't want you to do anything you're not ready for."

I turned my head slightly upwards, so I could look at her, even in this position. "I don't know how soon I'll be ready. But with the way I feel about you, I'm pretty certain it won't be too long." I heard myself tell her, very seriously. And I wasn't scared about taking that step either. I wanted it to be with her, this special experience. And I was old enough to do these things anyway.

Alice smiled warmly at me. "I don't know how it'll work, though." she gently whispered, "I mean, just when I kiss you, my instincts are wailing to take over. I'm certain it'll be even harder to resist if we get even more intimate."

I swallowed loudly. I hadn't though of that. I'd thought it was only going to be me who had to do this huge thing and take a big step, but she was right. This was something new for her, too. She was _right_. It was going to be hard, I was pretty certain of that. But thankfully, she hadn't pushed me away today, so that was always a good sign.

"I want to try though." she quickly assured me, her hand drawing a small circle on my back. "I mean it. It'll just _have_ to work."

We didn't say much the rest of the afternoon. I'm fairly certain that I fell asleep sprawled across her at at some point, but we didn't talk much, we just laid there together, sharing occasional kisses and touches. And if this was what it felt like to have somebody to love, I could easily see why everyone was so obsessed with feeling like this. Because it was quite extraordinary to just _be_ with her. We didn't have to talk or do anything, we could just be with each other, and that was all that mattered.

I was gently nudged awake by Alice, as her soft hands pushed me off of her. "Bella, Bella.." she pressed her lips to my ear, and I shifted, just wanting to lie there and sleep some more. Even though she was hard as a rock, I'd never felt more comfortable. "Your father will be pulling up outside in one minute, I suggest we make believe that we've been studying this entire time."

I immediately pulled myself from Alice and stretched my arms with a yawn. "I've been sleeping for that long?" I murmured, before scooting down the couch to reach for my books. It would be better not to give my father a heart attack by being cosy with Alice before we even had a chance to break it to him nicely.

Alice perched herself on the edge of the couch and grabbed one of her books too, opening it in her lap. "I didn't wanna wake you up." she grinned at me, a funny twinkle in her eye.

I combed my fingers through my hair quickly, before I pulled it into a ponytail, using the scrunchie I always had around my wrist. "So this winging it?" I lightly questioned, "Does it apply to telling my father about us?"

Alice smiled warmly at me. "I suggest we get right down to business, because I need to get home. I have to hunt, and I think you and your father might want to talk... maybe... afterwards."

I didn't want to pry and ask her if she'd seen anything in particular, because if it was very important, she'd tell me. So I just leaned across the couch and placed a very soft kiss on her cheek, before I leaned back in the sofa, just as Charlie drove into the driveway outside. I could feel the nerves settling in my stomach again and the beat of my heart sped up, but I knew it was going to be okay. My father had never said anything that would lead me to believe that he was against homosexuality, and he certainly adored Alice when she stayed for dinner that one time. It was pretty important to me that my father wouldn't be against this, and if he for some reason was, I had no idea what I'd do.

The front door opened and my father's feet shuffled inside. I held my breath as he discarded his jacket and his belt, before kicking off his shoes. "Bells!" he hollered then, probably thinking that I was upstairs, "I'm home!"

I took in a deep breath before announcing my presence. "In the living room, Dad!"

Charlie then dragged himself from the foot of the stairs and into the room. He stopped in the doorway when he saw who was sitting across from me on the couch. "Well hi Alice."

She flashed him her most adoring smile. "Hello Chief Swan."

He shuffled a little closer and gave the coffee table a look. "You two doing homework?"

I closed my book with a tiny smack and placed it gently on the table. "We were, but..." I cast a sideways glance towards Alice, who mimicked my action and closed her book as well, "we actually wanted to talk to you about something. Something very uhm... important."

I realised now that _winging it_ is not a good idea when you have to tell your father that you're gay.

Charlie looked curiously at the both of us, before he took a seat in his usual chair, right across from where I sat on the couch. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "What then?" he mumbled, clearly very uncomfortable with the entire situation.

_That makes two of us. _

"Chief Swan," Alice begun, crossing one leg over the other as she looked at him, "I realise that this might come as a shock to you because of the fact that Bella is your daughter, but..." she trailed off and glanced at me, that loving smile perched on her lips, "but I'm very much in love with her."

Charlie's eyes snapped from Alice's to mine.

"I'm gay... Dad." I whispered, not daring to look him in the eye as I uttered the last word of the sentence.

Alice was completely silent in her seat as she studied my father closely, and I looked at him as well, wondering what he was going to say and when he was going to say it. He was looking at his hands, and I could tell that he was thinking hard. I was afraid of what would come out of his mouth, but when he looked up and his eyes met mine, I knew I shouldn't have been worried, because he had a small – though slightly sad – smile on his face.

"Renée warned me that this day might come." he mumbled, scratching the back of his head.

I shared a look with Alice before I spoke up, "She – she did?"

Charlie was hesitant to speak again. "Your mother knows you so well, Bells, she knew that you uhm... you weren't exactly.. _straight_."

"Oh." was all that could come out of my mind at that point. Leave it to my mother to figure it out before I did myself.

Charlie's eyes shifted from me to Alice, but he had a kind look in his eyes, and that made me happy. "I guess I hoped she might be wrong, but to be honest, I think that you couldn't do much better than Alice here."

I could feel my heart swell and Alice's face lit up as well by the praise coming from my father. "So... it's OK?" I whispered, now tugging at a loose hem on my shirt. Even though I'd had many awkward conversations with my mother, this sure beat them all!

Charlie nodded his head stiffly. "'Course it is." he grunted, and we just looked at each other for a while, and I knew that he understood.

"Chief Swan?" Alice softly spoke up from the couch, and we turned to look at her – both of us – expectantly. "I just wanted to make sure that it's okay with you that Bella attends the dance at school with me."

And just like that, the entire mood was changed from serious to light, when Charlie agreed and said he'd expect nothing less of the girl his daughter was dating. We talked about the dance briefly, and Charlie asked if Alice's parents knew about us, and we assured him that they were okay with it and happy for us. And then Alice announced that she better get to the hospital to catch a ride home with her father.

"I'll start dinner in a minute, Dad." I smiled at Charlie, knowing that all the questions would be coming as soon as we were alone. It might be slightly uncomfortable to answer questions about my love life to my father, but I knew he meant well. He was okay with me and Alice and that was all I could ask for at the moment.

I followed Alice to the door and sighed happily. "That went rather well."

"It most certainly did." Alice happily cheered, leaning onto her toes to place a chaste kiss on my lips. "I'll see you tomorrow, Bella. My beautiful Bella."

I clutched the door handle tightly, as I watched her jog down the driveway and towards the forest.

I was pretty certain for a second, that things couldn't get much better than that.

* * *

_I apologise profusely for the obnoxiously long wait for this update. There's no excuses. _

_I hope you enjoyed this update. Just because they're together, doesn't mean it's over. There's still much more to come, just in case any of you were wondering. _

_Please drop off a review with your thoughts. I'm feeling a bit on the edge with the start of this chapter, but I'm thinking it might just be because it's been such a long time since I wrote on anything for this story. _

_**Disclaimer; **I don't own Twilight. _


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Chapter Thirteen**

For someone who'd never experienced downright bullying before, I took the next couple of days very hard.

In Phoenix, I'd sort of always blended in, been one among others, a wall-flower. And I'd always been exceptionally okay with that, in fact I'd loved how it was impossible for me to stand out in a school with thousandths of students. It had suited me just fine. And I'd never done anything that would make me seem different than the rest of them, that would make me stand out somehow. But here in Forks, even if you were just a 'regular' person, everybody knew who you were.

So imagine how people looked at me now that I was officially dating the weird, tiny Cullen girl. At school, people gave me these odd stares when I walked down the hallway, and even Jessica (who usually lived for attention) couldn't stand to walk the walk of shame with me. (Not that I had anything to me ashamed of!). Angela stuck by me as much as our different schedules would allow her. And I had Alice with me for most of the time, which really made everything better.

The looks, the murmurs, they didn't bite on my girlfriend. She was used to being looked weirdly at, she told me. She was used to people calling her a freak behind her back, thinking she couldn't hear them. This was nothing she couldn't handle. But for me? For me it was something new entirely. I felt awkward when I had to go from one classroom to another, or even when I entered the bathroom or the cafeteria. People were watching me in a way I was not comfortable with. They were calling me names where I'd always just been addressed briefly as 'that girl there'. And I found everything hard to handle.

"It will be better." Angela told me during lunch the first day. "The excitement will wear off soon. They always find something new to obsess over."

And I could just smile at her gratefully, because I knew it was the truth. They'd find some new scandal, and though they'd never forget that Alice and I were – in fact – dating, when it'd lasted for a while, the news factor would be gone, and so would their insane obsession. I might still have to endure a few names now and then, but it would be nothing like what they'd called after me when I entered school that morning.

But Alice was being all cool and... and Alice-like. Which I hated. Because – because she just continued on like she normally would have done, while I, on Tuesday night, felt like I couldn't possibly go to school the next day and wing it in front of our class. The entire idea with this was that we'd read the poem so convincingly that Ms. Righte would just adore us, but when I was feeling like this, I just – I couldn't do that. And I knew this about myself, so I wasn't even willing to try it. I was so tempted to fake illness, which is something I'd never done before.

But then again... I couldn't possibly do that to Alice. She was the girl I loved, and if she believed that we could do it, then we could. And why did I even care what all those other people thought of me – of us? They didn't matter to me. They were just people. I'd soon be graduating and they would just be people in my past. I didn't even know what would happen once I did. So much had happened since I moved to Forks, and I was no longer sure where I stood with my future. Before, I'd always imagined studying Biology or something, but now? What did it really matter what I studied? Would I even need to? I just – I had a very clear view of what my future was going to be like, and no matter if it held school or not, the only solid factor in it was Alice.

"Alice," I mumbled to myself as I grabbed my cell phone from the night stand and threw myself onto my bed with a sigh, "I gotta call Alice."

If there was anyone I would be able to talk to about this – it was Alice. Because she was my girlfriend, and she was going through this, too. And if I expressed my concerns to her, she'd just get me to calm down and make me feel better, and we'd be presenting our project tomorrow, and everything would be okay. I was just about to scroll to her name in my contacts, when I saw her picture flash across my screen, as I had an incoming call.

I smiled to myself and pressed the phone to my ear. "Impatient much?" I couldn't help but giggle. Already, before we'd even exchanged words, she'd gotten me cheered up.

"I'm sorry, I saw that you were going to call, and I have news!" Alice whined, and I could practically picture her, in whichever room she was in, tripping on her tiny feet to talk to me.

Esme mumbled something incoherent in the background.

I laughed. "What did you wanna tell me, Alice?"

Alice sighed heavily on the other end of the phone. "Just that Esme and Rose are very excited for this weekend! And so am I, by the way, it's gonna be so much fun, finding beautiful dresses." Alice gushed.

I felt my stomach tighten by the mere thought of the dreaded shopping trip and the prospect of trying on 'beautiful dresses'. "Well that... sounds good. I can't wait to spend some more time with you outside of school."

"Now that you mention school..." Alice slowly trailed off, her voice suddenly getting a softer, more deeper meaning. "Bella, I know you're not comfortable with everything right now, I _know_ it, but I can assure you that it'll be better. I promise you."

I smiled into the phone. She was such a tease! She could see everything and she knew it was going to be okay. But why couldn't she just tell me when the tormentors would leave us alone? It'd give me some peace. But knowing her, she wasn't about to tell me anything, except promise me. Because she wanted me to experience things in a regular fashion and not live by her minute-to-minute visions. "You promise?"

"Mhm."

I closed my eyes and found myself settling deeper into the cushion against my headboard. "Today was really horrible for me, Alice. I don't feel like going back."

"Psh," Alice mocked me, "of course you do. If you don't go back, they win. And you and I, darling, we're the winners, not the losers. Plus, we have our project tomorrow, and I know you won't let me down, even if you do feel sick."

She knew I wouldn't let her down, I knew I wouldn't let her down, hell, everybody knew I wouldn't let her down. I was incapable of it. She was too important. I shifted the phone to my other ear. "I'm just worried what people will say once we've read the poem. It'll just give them more to talk about."

Alice giggled, her tiny bell-like voice echoing over the phone as I amused her. "Let them talk, Bella. I know what that poem means to me. It's how I feel about you."

I felt my heart possibly swell to double size, and that tightening sensation in the pit of my stomach returned, as it always did when Alice said something or kissed me somewhere. It was love, and I couldn't deny it. Plus, she did strange things to my body. "Remind me again, will you?" I huskily whispered, desperate to hear her sweet voice utter those words to me again, as she'd done when we practised our presentation briefly earlier today.

"_I carry your heart with me_," she whispered, "_(I carry it in my heart) I am never without it (anywhere I go, you go, my dear; and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling) I fear,_" she paused, and her voice was like light feathers against my ear, even through the phone, "_no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) I want no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true) and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sing is you." _

I hoarsely replied back to her, "_Here is the deepest secret nobody knows (here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide) this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart." _I paused, "_I carry your heart (I carry it in my heart)._"

There was a silence between us, where I just breathed heavily into the phone, listening intensely for any small movement or sound from Alice's side. I couldn't really describe the feeling I got when she recited her part of the poem to me. It was this incredibly intense feeling that soared through my body like a wildfire, and I couldn't control the impulses I got in my lower region. I longed to be close to her, to touch her and kiss her and never, ever, _ever _let go. Because she carried my heart, and she'd done so since the minute I laid eyes on her.

"Bella." her light voice broke me out of my trance.

I sighed. "Yes?"

Alice had a smile on her face, I could hear so by the sound of her voice. "No matter what those idiots say tomorrow, I'm yours and you're mine, and I carry your heart in my heart." there was a slight pause. "Okay?"

"Okay."

"So don't worry." she pushed it. I could tell she was desperate for me to feel better about this mess, for me to be okay. I don't know if she was scared I might give up and leave her, but no such thing had ever crossed my mind. "We'll be together. After high school, after those fuckheads are out of our lives. We'll have each other, Bella, and they won't matter."

I knew it was the truth. And somehow – hearing it out of her mouth – it made it all the move believable. "Okay." I whispered.

Alice giggled lightly. "I'll see you tomorrow, darling."

When I hung up the phone, I wasn't worried any longer by the thought of school and what it might bring with it, but I was more consumed in thoughts of the future that Alice had mentioned... she wanted me to be a part of that future, right? Would that mean that... that I could become a part of her family? For real? The nature of that decision was huge, but I wasn't in doubt about what I wanted. I wanted her, every part of her. And to have that, I'd have to be like her. If I was like her, we'd have forever to spend together.

Suddenly, the idea of being scared of going to school was ridiculous. I had many other things to be scared of... How would I even broach the subject of this with Alice?

**x**

During lunch break in the cafeteria on Thursday, I got a text from Jacob. It was capitalised and urgent, and there was a fair amount of cursing and spelling mistakes. He demanded I answer how I thought it was even possible for him not to find out that I am dating Alice Cullen when our fathers are best friends and Charlie is glowing with happiness for his daughter.

I swallowed the bite of apple in my mouth and cast a short glance at Alice. She was busying herself with a salad, pretending to eat, while listening to whatever it was that Jasper was telling her. I gazed at Angela then; she was sitting across from me, looking like one big question mark. She could tell that something was wrong, but I wasn't going to tell her what it was. Not here, not with Alice nearby. Not when she could listen in. She'd get upset about the way Jacob was handling things, even more upset than I was, too.

I found him crass and immature, and I didn't want to deal with him. I'd have to settle things with him once and for all. I wasn't going to let him continue to treat me this way. We were friends, and I'd had to put up with a lot of crap from his side. And I'd done so, willingly even, because all those years of friendship meant a lot to me. But I'd also thought that he'd change, that he'd see things my way and realise that we just don't choose who we love, that it can't just be changed. But apparently he is not mature enough to see that. So I'd have to clear the record and tell him where my heart was. He'd just have to deal with it.

And so would I. Even if it meant losing him as a friend.

"Something wrong?" Angela questioned, her eyes scanning my face like an x-ray.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Nope, I'm fine." I smiled, before taking another bite of my apple and casting another glance at Alice. She'd perked her head slightly to the side by the sound of Angela's question, and I knew that she was listening in. It should annoy me, but really, it didn't. I was too much in love with her to let her small traits annoy me like that. Actually, I found her protectiveness pretty endearing at most times, because I knew she'd never do anything to make me uncomfortable, she'd never tell me not to do something I wanted to do because she didn't think it was a good idea.

I typed in a message on my phone, _I'll call you later_, before handing it over to Angela, who replied with a small nod. Then I received my phone back and proceeded to type a reply back to Jacob as well. I couldn't risk going out to La Push to talk to him, because Alice would have a fit if I went into the woods on my own. And I didn't particularly like the idea of running into Victoria and James on a deserted road. I'd just have him come to see me tonight. Alice would know I was hanging out with him, because I'd be a blank spot in her visions all evening until Jacob left again. I'd just have to deal with her questions tomorrow.

_Come by my house at seven and we'll talk._

I hit 'send' before I chickened out, and gathered my things together. I wanted to get out of the crowded cafeteria for a few seconds, just to clear my mind before my next class. There was too much drama right now, and I needed to figure out what the fuck I was going to say to Jacob – well, I knew what I was going to say, but it was much more difficult to figure out _how_ I was going to say it. I stopped by my locker to retrieve my books for my next class, when I felt the familiar presence of Alice right behind me. I could tell it was her – not just anyone. She had this air around her, and it made it impossible for her to blend in with everyone else (at least in my eyes).

I closed my locker with a tiny smack and turned around to face her with a small smile. "Hi!"

Alice took a step forward and pushed my back flush against the row of lockers. "Hello darling." she giddily whispered, placing a chaste kiss on my lips.

I stared down at her, our eyes locked, and I could tell that she was going hunting tonight, because her eyes were ink black. And I longed to see them golden again; that beautiful honey colour where emotions were always floating around, spilling every secret feeling of Alice's. My hand moved on its own accord to the small of her back and pressed her even closer to me.

"What are you doing tomorrow?" she whispered, her breath tickling my chin as she spoke. Her tiny hand rested on my stomach and I could feel the heat through the cotton of my t-shirt.

I blinked. I'd thought she'd come here to talk to me about tonight, because obviously she knew that something was wrong. But she didn't even mention it; which made me happy. She let me have my space, because she hoped I'd come to her eventually. Which, of course, I would. "Tomorrow?"

Alice fisted my shirt in her hand and giggled. "Tomorrow night, the entire weekend? Did you wanna come spend the night at my place? Carlisle and Esme are planning this fun night of games, and on Saturday, we'll just get up early and head for Port Angeles!"

The idea of a fun night with the Cullens sounded amazing – though slightly odd – in my ears. I had a faint feeling that such a night was not going to go down without troubles in their family. Whatever games they decided to play, I'm sure Emmett wouldn't rest until he won them all. And even if I sucked at most games, I'd love to be a part of this experience with them. I just wasn't entirely too sure if Charlie would actually let me spend the night at Alice's after he knew the true nature of our relationship. Sure, I wouldn't end up pregnant or anything, but... he was still my father, and fathers do tend to avoid putting their teenage daughters into situations where they might have sex.

I cringed by the thought of having to discuss this with my father. "I'm gonna have to talk to Charlie, but I hope I'll be there." I whispered, and couldn't help the cheeky grin.

Alice cocked an eyebrow for a while as she thought the situation over. It only took her a few seconds to figure out what the problem was. She lit up completely, "Just have Charlie call Carlisle tonight. He'll assure your father it's a very good idea, and attest to the fact that we will not be sleeping in the same bed. Though of course that's exactly what we will."

I wrinkled my nose. "I suppose Charlie will think it's a good idea if Carlisle does. For some strange reason, he's very fond of your father."

"Oh, I know!" Alice cheered, her eyes resting on my lips for a second too long, "And I'm also very aware that that might be the reason he was so quick to let me date you. I owe Carlisle a lot." she laughed then, placing another kiss on my lips, before pushing herself off the wall.

I opened my locker again, this time determined to actually gather my things. "Do I just bring an overnight bag with me to school tomorrow? Can you pick me up?"

Alice moved to her toes, then fell the the ball of her heels, "Of course! We'll just go straight to my house after school."

I pushed my locker shut and clutched my books to my chest, as we started walking down the now crowded hallways. Somehow, during our conversation in our own personal bubble, the first bell must have rung, because everyone was on their way to their afternoon classes. Alice walked me to my next class, as it was right on the way to hers. We paused by the doorway, turning to look at each other.

She watched me through her thick eyelashes. "I'll see you tomorrow, OK? Good luck with Jacob tonight." she whispered, before pressing a kiss to my lips.

"Dykes!"

We broke apart quickly, only to find that the offender was already well down the hallway. I could feel my insides stiffen, and not even Alice's warm hand on my hip could stop me from freezing over, as several pairs of eyes turned to us in the hallway. Alice didn't even look his way, but placed a quick to my lips, before turning and walking in the other direction, her hand the last part of her to leave my body.

I glanced around the hallway, awkwardly pressing my books to my chest as everyone still looked at me. Turning several shades of red, I spun around and marched straight into the classroom, slamming my books to the desk. They were just morons, all of them. Stupid people, with stupid opinions, and I shouldn't care about them, because honestly? I had something that they didn't. If they ever found someone they loved like I loved Alice, they'd realise that everything else didn't matter.

**x**

It was nearing seven o'clock pretty quickly, and I was ready to talk to Jacob. I'd spent my afternoon cooking my father's favourite dinner while trying to persuade him into thinking that me spending a night with Alice would not lead us anywhere inappropriate (not that I thought it would. We were going out, but we weren't _there_ yet). After dinner, Charlie had called Carlisle and had a conversation with him, which naturally led him to believe that it was okay for me to spend the weekend at the Cullens'. After that, I'd tied up the phone line for a good 45 minutes, talking to Angela about Jacob and Alice, and she'd done her best to advice me about how to deal with Jacob. Not that we'd really gotten any closer as to how I was going to solve this problem, but at least it had been nice to talk to a friend about it.

And now I was just finishing up my homework and Jacob would be here within ten minutes. I was actually surprised he even decided to come and talk to me. But I guess his curiosity had gotten the better of him. And maybe he did care about me – if he didn't care, why would he continuously try to make me change my mind, see things his way? I had to remind myself that he did all of these stupid things simply because he cared. (Perhaps he even cared _too_ much, but I wasn't going to dwell on that. It was far too dangerous to go down _that_ road).

I heard the doorbell ring and closed my text book, mentally readying myself for the conversation I was about to have. It was going to be difficult. I should not have chosen to avoid the truth at first; it would have been so much better, had I told him when we spoke on Sunday. But back then I'd chosen the easy way out, though it wasn't the right thing to do. I was so set on the fact that we were best friends, that we had been so for many years – but really, if we were, why would I lie to him?

My smile was strained when his head poked through the door. He was only wearing his cut-off jeans, and I knew he'd been running here; it was how he seemed to get around, really. And as he entered his room, having to bend over to even get through the doorway, I realised how much he'd changed, how much I hadn't changed. I was still the same Bella, save for the fact that I was now dating Alice, but he wasn't the same Jacob. _Far from_.

My eyes scanned him as he awkwardly took a seat on my bed, his feet dangling over the foot of the bed, even if he had his back pressed against the headboard. It wasn't only that he had physically changed from the boy I just to play around with. He was an entirely different person, as well. He was harder, tougher. And that was one of the things I'd always loved so much about him; that he was a sensitive, soft guy, who didn't need to act tough. He had changed, and I had not.

_And maybe_, I thought to myself, as I rolled my office chair across the floor to be closer to him, _maybe I could have loved him if he was still the same Jacob. _

"So." he stated, putting his hands behind his head and flexing his arm muscles.

I heard a howl from somewhere outside and turned to Jacob with a questioning look.

He grinned at me. "Quill and Embry are right outside, hidden in the woods, of course. Sam just wanted to make sure someone was here in case things got ugly."

I stared him straight in the eye. Even though he tried to play it cool, I could tell that this was serious. This conversation was going to be strained and rough. I decided to go straight at it, not daring to play it nice first. If this was how he wanted it, it was how he was going to get it. I was done being nice, done forgiving him. That was the one thing Angela had told me during our phone call. I had to put a stop to this. "Why would things get ugly?" I fired right back.

He must have sensed my tone, because I could see him clench his jaw. "Maybe because you're dating that leech. How can you be dating that leech?"

"I'm sorry Jacob, but I don't think it's any of your business why exactly I'm dating Alice." I shot right back, sitting straight up in my chair, which kept me at eye-level with him. "I'll tell you though – I love her."

He swallowed loudly. "I can understand how you might have found her mildly attractive when you _didn't_ know what she is." he spat at me, "I mean, she's got a weird aura around her, and she's practically the size of my foot, but she's cute. Really though-" he shook his head in deep regret, his black eyes moving to the floor, "-I don't understand how you can be near her when you know what they are."

I breathed in heavily. "You know as well as I do that they don't hurt people, Jake. It was other vampires who killed those hikers. The Cullens would never do anything like that."

"You don't know that." he firmly said, "They've hurt people before. And at some point, one of them is gonna blow it, and as soon as they do, the treaty will be broken, and we'll hunt them down, until there's not one of them left."

I stared right back at him; I could feel anger oozing out of my every pore. I could not believe he was talking about them like that; talking about killing them, about actually hurting them – the Cullens; some of the nicest people I'd ever met. I bid back at him, "You can't hurt them. They're stronger than you! You'll just get yourself killed, Jacob."

He dropped his arms from behind his head and sat up straighter. "No way. And you'll realise it too, that you'd be better off befriending us than _them_." he spat the last part out, and it did nothing to cool my boiling temper. I had just about had enough of him and his stupid pack!

"Jacob, if you came here to bash the Cullens, I suggest you leave. I care about each of them immensely, and I'll not be listening to this." I softly said to him, attempting to get this discussion under control so my father wouldn't hear us, and so Jacob wouldn't morph into a giant wolf in the middle of my bedroom.

Jacob breathed in and out a couple of times, effectively calming himself. He didn't want this to get out of hand too, I could tell. But when he got too worked up about something, he couldn't control himself. "You're really gonna choose her over me, aren't you?" he whispered, "You really love her?"

"I really do." I whispered back to him. I could see the hurt in his eyes, and it broke my heart in some way, but I was sure that this was the right thing to do. He wanted answers, and I was going to give them to him, honestly.

"And you think she loves you more than I do?" he continued in a hushed voice, his eyes never leaving mine.

I swallowed loudly. "I don't know." I honestly told him, "I don't know how you love me. I know that she'd do anything for me, Jake. And the fact is, it's her that I love."

Jacob's eyes still didn't move from mine. "And you don't love me?"

I tore my eyes away from his, settling them on my window, on the sun setting just outside. "Jake, you've changed. You really have." I whispered, not daring to move my head, to look him in the eyes as I said this, "The old Jacob, the guy I used to know, I could have eeeeasily loved him," I murmured, and by this time, I chose to turn my head, "but you're not him anymore. And this version of you, I'm just not sure if I care all that much for it."

I could tell he was hurt. He was breaking on the inside, and for a second I thought that maybe I'd see the guy I used to know, but it was only for a brief second, and then it was gone. He wasn't there anymore; he'd been through too much to still be that guy. But this Jacob could hurt too, that was evident. "Alright," he whispered, "if that's what you think, Bella, then alright. Maybe you don't love me, but I still love you. And I'm going to try and fight for this friendship, and I won't let you fade away from me. And maybe, some day in the future, when you're not with her anymore, because the age difference has become too much, you'll want me. I can only hope so."

Tears were pooling in my eyes, because I could tell that he meant this. And I'd have to break him all over again now, with the words that came out of my mouth next. "I'm never going to want anyone else than her, Jake... I plan on – on becoming one of them. I haven't exactly talked to Alice about it yet, but I'm pretty certain she wouldn't object."

Anger flashed across his face then; I could tell he was struggling with these news, with finding a way to calm his anger before it blew up in his face. He swallowed loudly, clenched his fists and as his body shook, I could only watch him, murmuring to himself. I wondered if now was the time to open that window and yell for Quinn and Embry, but decided against it. If had faith in Jacob, faith that he could stop himself from doing this. Plus, this conversation wasn't over, and if Quill and Embry showed up, we wouldn't have time to finish it.

"You-" he clenched his jaw, "You're planing to _become _one of those – those – those _things_!"

I could do nothing but shrug.

"Unbelievable!" he huffed, turning his face to the side, staring at my closet.

I closed my eyes for a brief second, before speaking. "I'm sorry Jacob, but that's how I feel. If we could still have a friendship, I'd really like that, but you'll need to get over the fact that I've chosen who I want to be."

His eyes met mine again, and I was happy to see that he'd managed to remove every trace of anger in them. "I don't know. I don't think we can be friends once you've decided that. I'll still try to talk you out of it though. Maybe you'll change your mind, I won't give up."

"I know." I softly said, without even blinking.

His lashes fluttered against his tan skin several times before he spoke up. "I still don't get why you didn't tell me about her when we spoke on Sunday. I had to hear it from my _dad_, Bella! Seriously! That was gut-wrenching!"

I shrugged my shoulders, "I'm sorry. But the way you've been acting when I talked about her – I just didn't want to cause another scene. I know I should have been upfront about it, but I just couldn't handle it at that point." I paused, "But it's not like you've been the most honest person either. I went for _weeks_ not knowing what was up with you. You could've told me about the pack."

"You know I couldn't have." he grunted.

Maybe so. Maybe not. I don't know. I didn't really want to discuss the entire matter of this. Pretty much all important things had been dealt with now. He knew where I stood and who I stood by. If there was ever any doubt. I wasn't going to go running to him if something went wrong with me and Alice (not that I thought it would), because he'd just fire a bunch of 'I told you so's in my direction. And I felt pretty confident that I'd informed him that his chances were slim to none. I wasn't going to regret my decision or back out of it. I had no idea how one became a vampire, but I had every intention of finding out this weekend. And if Alice didn't want to change me, I'd convince someone else to do it. Carlisle could do it; he'd changed most of his family members after all, he knew how to.

And regarding my future? Jacob had very little place in it. But it was okay that he said that he wasn't going to give up on me completely. It'd get him nowhere, and I'd probably grow tired of it pretty damn quickly, but if it made him feel better, I'd let him. I just wouldn't give in to him, because I knew what my future was going to be like.

It was going to be me and Alice, and the other circumstances didn't matter.

I didn't want to broach that subject with him though, because it'd get us nowhere. Instead, I decided to just talk about something else entirely. "Have you seen Victoria or James these past couple of days?"

Jacob shrugged. "They're still around. We've been picking up their scent. They're lurking around here for some reason. I think they're really ticked off about what happened on Saturday."

I shot him a small trying smile, "You gotta admit – Alice saved my ass."

He had the courtesy to nod, "That she did."

"Just be careful Jake," I whispered to him, "they're dangerous. And I think they're plotting something against the Cullens, but I'm not sure."

"We're here to protect the people, Bella, I couldn't care less about your stupid family of vampires." Jacob replied, pushing himself off of the bed and onto his feet. He once more had to bend his head slightly.

I got the vibe that this was officially the end of this conversation, and followed him through the door and down the hall, "Say hi to the others from me, will you?" I softly questioned, as we stood in the doorway. I could see two pairs of eyes watching us from the shadows of the forest, and I knew that Jacob was going to be okay.

Jacob leaned over, pulling me in for an awkward hug, "Don't be a stranger at La Push." he whispered into my ear, before pulling back. "If that damn leech will even let you visit of course."

I didn't batter an eye. "She doesn't control me. I can do whatever I want." I replied back. But I didn't promise I'd come see him. I couldn't make that promise, because I wasn't sure if I even wanted to.

"Good." he firmly said, before he turned on his heel and sprinted towards the forest, morphing into the giant wolf mid-air, right before he disappeared from sight. Behind the trees, the last shades of red were leaving the sky, and an odd sensation filled the pit of my stomach.

It felt a little like closure.

* * *

_Thanks for the lovely comments I received regarding last chapter! They really made me smile, you're all so generous with your reviews. I wrote this entire thing in practically one sitting, so I apologise if it shows anywhere in the chapter. Please leave me your comments. _

_Oh. And regarding 'i carry your heart with me'? I love e. e. cummings! To quote Anne Hathaway – he had me at the font ;-) _

_**Disclaimer; **I don't own Twilight or aforementioned poem. _


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Chapter Fourteen **

"Emmett, _no_, I'm not doing it!"

"C'mon Rose, please – do it for me? You know you wanna!"

"Psh! I'm offended by that insinuation."

"Just one time?"

"No."

"Please!"

"Do it with Jasper. He wants to."

"But it's not as much fun with him. I only wanna do it with you."

"Try doing it with Edward, then. He sucks ass."

"But Rose!"

"_No_ Emmett. What is it that you don't get? No means no!"

I rose my hand to my mouth to hide my giggle, as Emmett fell onto his recliner, guitar in hand, and with a sulking expression on his face. Rosalie was sitting on the couch a few feet away from him, and hadn't looked up from her _Vogue_ magazine once while she was arguing with him. Jasper was next to Emmett, sitting on a chair as well, holding a drum stick in each hand, the plastic drum kit settled between his legs. Edward was looking on, truly amused.

One might not believe that this entire conversation was regarding Guitar Hero and whether or not Rosalie would play Rock Band with Emmett, but it totally was. Which charmed and amused me to no end, I had to admit that.

I felt Alice sit down next to me before I heard her, and my left hand immediately went in search for her thigh. My eyes were fixated on Emmett as he came to the conclusion that he'd not convince Rosalie to play with him. He settled for Jasper then, started the game up once more. They'd already played five rounds this afternoon (and broken three guitars and two drum kits), and I was having the time of my life.

Alice's breath was hot on my ear, when she whispered, "Are you having fun?"

As if she already didn't know that! I'd been smiling since we entered the Cullen house this afternoon. I'd barely talked to Alice all day, except when she picked me up before school, telling me with shiny eyes that she was so proud of me for standing up to Jacob. I didn't even bother asking her how she knew. I still wasn't certain about what she saw and what she didn't see regarding Jacob. She probably hadn't seen our conversation, but she'd probably seen me deciding to finally humour him with a talk. But I was happy that she wasn't mad at me about anything with Jacob, and I was thrilled that she seemed to believe that I'd done the right thing by talking to him in the first place.

I turned my head to meet Alice's eyes and nodded eagerly. "Yes. Yes, I really am."

Alice's eyes sparkled in the light from the flickering candles that Esme had put up around the room, and she looked absolutely stunning to me. "I'm glad." she cheered, licking her lips with a whip of her tongue, before she bounced off of the couch and stood behind Jasper, chanting him to hit harder and faster.

I caught Edward's eye between all the madness. He was reading in an old book; he'd been completely engrossed in it so far, his brow furrowed in thought, but now he was watching the scene unfold before his eyes, just like I was. I knew that he wasn't as amused with the entire scenario as I was – he'd been through this countless of times before with them. But I could tell that he was amused because I was amused, witnessing this for the first time. I was sure, though, that if I got used to it, I'd probably find it downright annoying.

I snapped out of my thoughts, when Jasper's strong arms snapped the drum kit in half and he looked up, a sheepish grin edged across his face. I had to hide my giggle again, but Rosalie just snorted.

"Here we go..." Emmett mumbled, attempting not to break into one big grin, as Esme scurried into the living room, her gorgeous hair flowing behind her in a whoosh.

She opted to turn the big flat screen TV off, before she turned to them, her hands on her hips. "I think you guys have broken enough electronic devices for one day, don't you?" she questioned, her eyes moving from Emmett to Jasper to Emmett again.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Not my fault the humans can't make things for shit." he laughed, before sending a teasing look in my direction, "No offence, Bella."

Esme scoffed. "Language!"

Jasper was rolling one of the drum sticks between his fingers, as he looked up to meet Esme's eyes. "Sorry. We'll find something else to do."

"Thank fuck." Rosalie commented, closing _Vogue_ with a snap. "Maybe we'll finally be getting some silence in this house. That gut-wrenching so-called music emanating from the TV has my head doing cartwheels by now."

I had to agree with her. Though I would probably have put it more nicely.

"Language!" Esme repeated, but to no avail. I knew that the Cullen kids respected Carlisle and Esme more than anything – I could see it in the way they looked at them, spoke of them. But I also knew that they were going to talk the exact way that they wanted to, no matter what Esme wished. They were around humans my age all day long, taking classes in high school, and even though they were all raised as children in another time where people didn't speak the way we do now, I knew that it'd have to rub off on them. No one could be around teenagers nowadays and not pick up on the curse words. It was impossible.

Edward didn't look up from his books as he spoke, "What do you want to play next? It's an official game night at the Cullens'."

Alice made that adorable thinking-face for a few seconds, before she chipped in, "Oh. I know! How about Picturenary?"

Emmett rolled his eyes and spun the recliner around, so he could look at her more clearly. "As if, Alice! No one in this house wants to play anything with you. You always cheat!"

My eyes found Alice's, "You cheat?" I mocked her. I had a very good feeling that it definitely wouldn't be beneath her to cheat if she wanted to win. Which, of course, she always did.

Alice swatted Emmett on the side of the head. "No. I most certainly do not!" she gasped, shaking a finger at him in the old-fashioned no-no way.

Jasper laughed. "She doesn't cheat, per say..." he paused, glancing at Alice with amused eyes, "But no one really wants to play with her, since she knows how the entire thing is gonna go, before it even starts."

"Oh." That sort of made sense.

"Have you seen her and Edward play chess?" Esme questioned me then, a smile coming onto her face. Apparently, the scorns from before were long forgotten already.

I shook my head. "Is it different?"

Rosalie sighed heavily, as if telling me this was bothering her greatly. Which – probably – it was, since she figured talking to me was a waste of time. "Hello? Don't you see," she begun, but offered me a smile when Esme coughed loudly, "Alice and Edward just stare at the board – she sees his first move, he reads her next move, she sees his next move, and before any of them manage to move a piece, they've finished the game in their heads."

"It takes approximately ten seconds." Emmett finished with a giant smile.

Edward cocked an eyebrow, truly not amused. "Well, how about we play Twister then?" he suggested, closing his book soundlessly, before placing it on the small table beside the couch.

Alice excitedly clapped her hands together, but I felt my eyes go wide in fear. Me? Play Twister? That was a disaster of epic proportions! While Rosalie actually looked like she might humour this idea, and Emmett seemed to be entertained doing whatever, I didn't really want to subject myself to a game like Twister. I'd slip and fall on my butt before I even managed to place the first part of my anatomy on the map, and I didn't want to be the laughing stock of the entire Cullen family.

My girlfriend shook her head at me. "No one's gonna laugh at you, Bella!" she cheered, before rushing out of the room, most likely to retrieve the game in question.

Jasper got out of his chair and him and Emmett quickly made history of Esme's well-decorated living room, by putting all the furniture off to the side. Esme looked on with disapproving eyes, but didn't say anything.

Alice was back then, quickly spreading the map on the floor, and I found myself – once more – truly amused by the bizarreness of this situation. I was having game night with my vampire girlfriend's family (of vampires). We were going to play Twister. I somehow found myself chuckling at the idea.

Edward gave me a funny look from where he was standing and shook his head. "I so often wish I knew what you were thinking." he whispered, and I could do nothing but flash him a tiny smile, because he'd so not want to get into my head. He'd quickly wish himself out of there again, because some messed-up things went on in there.

"I'm gonna spin it." Rosalie demanded from her seat on the couch (Emmett and Jasper had taken each a side and carried the couch off to the wall, Rosalie still perched atop it).

Esme threw her the board and said, "I'm gonna make sure these four doesn't cheat." she said in a stern voice, looking at her four remaining children.

Emmett had a childish grin on his face. "What's Bella gonna do?"

Esme offered me a tiny smile, "Carlisle would like to talk to you in his office." she said to me.

I locked my eyes with Alice's, immediately feeling concerned as to what her father could possibly want to talk to me about. Did I do something wrong? Was there some reason in particular that he needed to speak with me – alone? I was nervous in an instant, but something in Alice's eyes told me not to worry too much about it. She had a tiny smile on her lips, as she flew across the floor and pecked my cheek.

"It's up the stairs, down the hall and to your left." she whispered into my ear. "When you're done talking, come find me, and we'll go for a walk." she winked at me.

Edward's face was one of complete amusement. "It's a shame you won't be able to see her own this game, Bella. She's so tiny, she manages to squeeze herself into the most impossible positions."

Emmett broke into a full-blown belly laugh, his laughter blowing through the house, "She totally kicks ass!"

I heard Esme tell him off ("Language, Emmett, _language_!"), as I dashed up the staircase and onto the first floor. I had no idea what Carlisle really wanted to talk to me about. We'd covered pretty much everything last weekend after the disaster in the woods. We'd talked – all of us – about vampires and about everything I needed (and had wanted) to know, so what could he possibly need to talk to me about? It didn't matter anyway, because being alone with Carlisle was an opportunity I wasn't going to waste.

Alice and I hadn't been dating for very long, but that didn't matter to me. I'd known I wanted to be with her for far longer than the one week she'd been my official girlfriend, so I didn't feel that this question was rushed or inappropriate. I wanted to be with Alice, really _be_ with her. So I wanted to be _like_ her. But I didn't know how that happened, how one is changed into a vampire. Of course I could ask Alice, but that might lead to some questions I wasn't ready to answer yet, so I felt that perhaps it would be okay for me to discuss them with Carlisle.

He surely wouldn't mind, I was certain of that.

I wasn't quite sure which door lead into Carlisle's office, though Alice had given me an extreme tour of the house last weekend. Honestly, the house was just so big, I couldn't remember it. But I followed Alice's directions, and eventually ended up at the end of a long hallway; the last door was creaked open, and I could see a faint light streaming into the hallway. I had a feeling that this was Carlisle's sanctuary. His place to think; his place to work and be alone. Alice had told me that they all had places like that, because their chosen life-style sometimes became hard to deal with. And this was Carlisle's place, and I felt strangely honoured to be invited in there so graciously.

I had barely raised my closed fist to place a knock on the door, when Carlisle spoke, "Please do come in Bella."

Dropping my hand to my side, I pushed the door open and peeked into the room. It was decorated in the true style of a man like Carlisle. It had a look from another century entirely; books lined the walls from top to floor on three sides of the room, only broken once by the frame of the door I'd just entered. He had an old desk placed in the middle of the room; it was covered in papers and open books, and Carlisle was hunched above it, scribbling something furiously in a notebook. The only two things that didn't quite fit the picture were the soundless laptop right next to Carlisle, and the fact that the entire room was right now bathed in moonlight, since the wall that wasn't covered in books was made of nothing but glass.

"Close the door, will you, Bella?" Carlisle whispered to me, and I shut the door behind me, before walking slowly towards the middle of the room, where he was currently located. Two chairs was on the other side of his desk, and I suspected that this was where family members sat when he wanted to discuss things with them.

Carlisle closed his notebook with a tiny smack and lifted his head to meet my eyes. Gesturing towards the chair in front of him, I took a seat there, awkwardly crossing my ankles. I shouldn't be scared about this – Carlisle was the most gentle man I'd ever met.

"Are you having a good time with my family, Bella?" Carlisle wished to know. Happiness, curiosity and so many other emotions were written across his face and in his eyes, and I realised that this actually mattered to him. _I _mattered to him. I'd probably mattered ever since Alice mentioned my name for the first time.

I felt myself nod, and realised I just had to do better than that. My mouth was dry from my former insecurities, but I forced to speak anyway. "Immensely. They're playing Twister right now."

Carlisle folded his hands in front of his face and smiled brightly. "Wonderful."

I shifted awkwardly in my chair. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"You've made a real difference in our lives." Carlisle begun immediately, not blinking as his eyes scanned my face, taking in my every flinch or flutter. "Not only because we can feel certain changes because of your obvious presence, but more in the fact that Alice is happier now. So is Esme."

I didn't really know what to say to that. So I didn't say anything.

Carlisle chuckled. "Esme really wanted Alice to find someone. You're that someone, Bella, we're all very aware of how attached you two are at this early stage." he paused, poked his lower lip out a little bit and watched me again. "I know that your... relationship with Alice can't be easy, considering the fact that you're human and she's... not."

That was wonderful, just wonderful. I didn't know whether or not to be thrilled with the fact that he was edging closer to the subject I'd actually wanted to discuss with him, or if I should feel slightly concerned about it. Perhaps he wanted to tell me that there was no way in hell I could become a vampire and be with Alice? I certainly hoped not.

"I was wanting to ask you," Carlisle said to me then, and I could feel that this was the point of this conversation; the reason I'd be summoned up here in the first place, "if you would ever consider joining our family? You'd be most welcome, of course, we'd be delighted to have you. I know Alice will be devastated if you do decide to leave her. Which of course, we wouldn't blame you – I can see how... this lifestyle might not be your first choice."

I wanted to argue with him so badly. I wanted to say to him that this was exactly what I wanted: This family. Even if it meant I had to give up on Charlie and Renée. I just wanted to be with Alice. And with her I would be if I was changed; forever. Though it was a tough decision to make, I thought that this was what I wanted. Of course the deed wouldn't be done right now; I was in no way ready for that. But it was nice to know that if I wanted it to happen, it would.

I clenched my fist tightly to support myself. "I do want it." I whispered, my voice shaking badly; the emotion inside of me stirring me, playing with my control. "I would very much like to be with Alice, be with her forever, be a part of your family. If you do wanna have me, that'd be my dream come true. I can't imagine living without her. Even if living means never dyeing, never growing old."

Carlisle smiled warmly at me. "Those are the unfortunate circumstances of this after-life. Technically, when one is changed into a vampire, they die. In this life, there are no beating hearts, only the growing thirst." he paused, his golden eyes holding mine in a firm lock, "But the life that we've chosen; this life has given us something else to focus on besides the need for blood. It gives us reason to form bonds beyond mating, create a life like we have. Which actually makes this after-life worth living."

I nodded; my eyes were completely round with wonder as he spoke, and I could feel my mouth hanging slightly open. But I didn't care, I was enthralled in his story, in what he was telling me. These questions, they were more than I'd wanted to know. He was giving me information about all the things I wanted to know about being a vampire. And I could see that love wasn't foreign for them, love was strong – at least in this particular family. Maybe it wasn't for other vampires, but that didn't matter to me. It was _this_ certain family that I wanted to be a part of, and this family? It had plenty of love to give.

"How does I happen?" I whispered to him, my eyes studying the interesting lines in the wood of his floor instead of his face, "I mean, how is one changed into a vampire? I could ask Alice, but..." I trailed off, not sure if I should elaborate further.

Carlisle chuckled. "You really don't want to get her hopes up this early, it's understandable."

I nodded.

"The transition," Carlisle begun, going into professor-mode. This was not a conversation he was having with me as my girlfriend's father and my future 'father' as well, this was a conversation he was having with me as a doctor; honest and open. He wasn't going to hide anything from me, I could hear it in the way he spoke. "is very painful. The venom we have in our teeth – the venom we produce when we drink blood – it's what changes a human into a vampire. Naturally, when we bite something, the venom starts entering the body through the veins. It burns, Bella, the transition is very painful. It feels like your body is on fire, but on the inside. It's nothing I can describe for you. When you lie there, it takes around two days for the venom to reach your heart. And while you lie there, you're gonna wish you were dead. You're gonna wish that it was over – anything for the pain to stop."

He paused again, and I gaped at him. His eyes were serious, and I could tell that he wasn't exaggerating. There was no way I knew of the pain he was describing. I'd broken plenty of limbs before, even cracked my head open, all due to the clumsiness of my nature, but I just knew _for certain_ that this was worse – much worse. But he wasn't going to scare me off with it, because after all that pain – there was my future with Alice.

Carlisle spoke again, "When you've transformed, you won't remember much of your human life, perhaps small glimpses. Some remember more than others. For instance, Alice doesn't remember a single thing, where Rosalie remembers a lot. Whatever Alice knows, she's researched after she was changed. You, if you're ever changed, will have all of us to fill you in on your life beforehand." he blinked a few times, before he continued, "Of course there's also a risk in being changed."

"Of course." I sarcastically replied. Why wouldn't there be a risk? Of course there was a risk! …I just didn't know it yet.

Carlisle laughed warmly. "When we taste human blood, a sort of frenzy begins... whoever is changing you, will have to be able to stop before they finish you for every last drop. It's hard, I've done it four times, and it takes great restraint. I could do it with you, Bella... I'm sure you'd prefer it, though, if Alice could be the one to change you, but I'm not sure if she's strong enough. You'll have to talk to her about that."

I could imagine it; the intimacy we'd feel if Alice were the one to bite me, to put that venom in me. It'd tie her to me forever in an even more intimate way – not just as mates, but as my creator, my entire life. I'd love for it to be her, but of course not if it was going to be painful for her. I didn't want to harm her, I didn't want her to go through something so horrible. Not for me. I would ask her though, when the time came, if she thought she could do it.

"After the change, you won't be able to really think clearly for a couple of years," Carlisle continued to tell me, and I felt my eyes go wide (a couple of _years_?), "everything you think about is blood, and your instincts are out of control. Newborns are the worst kind of vampires, the strongest. But they have no self-control, and you'll probably not be able to stick with our vegetarian lifestyle."

My eyes went even wider when the thought of hurting – actually _killing_! – another human being entered my brain.

Carlisle hurried on with his talk, before I thought too much about it, "You won't even recognize Alice as your girlfriend; you'll think of every other vampire as a potential threat. But it's going to wear down – you'll eventually feel a bit more like your old self, though you'll never be the Bella you are now."

I nodded slowly, sensing that this was the end of everything I needed to know. He'd done what he was supposed to; informed me of all the details in this life – not just the great and amazing things like they'd all shared with me last weekend, but also the true reality of what I had to go through to make Alice mine and all mine – forever.

Carlisle sighed heavily and clasped his hands together again. "So that's that!" he smiled, "What do you say we go downstairs and join the family?"

I nodded again, and followed the great doctor downstairs, where I was greeted with a kiss from Alice. I tried not to think about all this information and just enjoy myself completely, but it was still there; huddled in the back of my mind the entire night. I was determined though, not to let it affect our shopping trip. I could never do that to Alice!

**x**

"Bella, Bella, Bella, _Bella_!" Alice cheered, excitingly picking down dresses from here and there, as she scurried through the dress shop, a little too fast for a human. "Uh, this is so pretty, you hafta try this one on!" she continued in a hurried voice, shimmying yet another dress on a hanger onto the giant pile of clothes draped across her left arm. It was practically taller than her, and there was no way it would have been possible for her to carry that amount if she hadn't been a vampire with super-strong powers.

Esme's laugh broke me out of my astonishment, and she placed a comforting hand around my lower back. "Just tell her to calm down, Bella, she sometimes needs to hear it more than once when dresses are involved."

"Oh, _oh_!" Alice gushed again, throwing a red dress onto the pile, "This will look just fabulous on you, Bella!"

Rosalie raised an eyebrow in my direction, before scoffing at Alice, "Are you gonna slow down at any time, Alice?"

Alice stuck her tongue out at the blonde girl and rapidly ran down another aisle, the dresses swooshing behind her as her heels clicked across the linoleum floor. I found myself gaping after her.

Esme reached out for a beautiful green dress, "This is gorgeous." she whispered, before quickly picking out one in her size. She turned to Rosalie then. "What do you reckon you'll wear for the dance, sweetheart?"

Rosalie turned her eyes all over the store, quickly skimming through every dress in her sight. With a finger on her chin, her gaze x-rayed every rack, before she smiled. "That beautiful blue one over there." she said, before walking across the floor to gather one in her size.

Esme's golden eyes met mine. "Alice will not rest until she has you all dolled up." she told me, as she turned towards the changing rooms, and I just followed her. I didn't think Alice really needed my help with the dresses; it seemed like she had everything under control (I gulped at the thought). "You don't seem like much of a dress-person, though." he eyes raked over my body, but I didn't feel uncomfortable in the way I normally would have; it was just Esme, and I'd felt at home with her since the moment I met her. "Don't let her force you into anything, okay?"

I nodded, and as she entered one dressing room, Rosalie entering another, I took a seat in the soft couch right in front of them, waiting for Alice to be done with it. I figured she wouldn't really need my opinion, since she seemed to believe that all the dresses in the store would suit me. I coughed. They'd _so_ not.

"Bella," Alice chipped, throwing a stack of dresses down on the arm of the couch, "these are for you, okay? Why don't you start trying some of them on, and I'm gonna go find a dress too. I actually saw a pretty red dress that I think would really suit my skin, and I-" she stopped talking when she saw the look on my face. "What?" she innocently asked, her eyelashes fluttering against her cheeks.

I shook my head. "You expect me to try _all _these dresses on?"

"But of course!" she whined, and for a second there, I thought she was going to stomp her foot (luckily she didn't, because that would have been seriously hilarious in a ridiculous kind of way). "Bella, how do you expect to find the perfect dress if you don't even wanna try any on?"

"Don't force her, Alice!" Esme warned, pushing the curtain aside, before stepping into view. Technically she didn't need to buy a dress, but I could understand why she would want to, because that green dress – she looked fucking beautiful in it. I actually found myself gaping at the way it hugged her gorgeous curves and was in direct contrast to her auburn hair.

"Gosh Esme!" Alice chipped, immediately flying across the floor to study her mother more closely, "This is absolutely stunning! You should wear this the next time Carlisle takes you dancing; he's gonna love you in it."

"And Emmett's gonna love me out of this one." Rosalie joined in, stepping into view as well. She looked incredible too; the blue fabric showing off a cleavage that none of the other Cullen women had, because of the empire waist. And it stopped just above her knees, which just made her mile-long legs seem ever longer. She was beautiful. But then of course, wasn't she _always_?

Esme gave Rosalie a head-shake. "Yes, we all know that, Rosalie, thanks for sharing."

"Oh, no problem." Rosalie replied, before stepping back into the changing room to get out of the dress again.

It seemed to me as if dress shopping with the Cullen women was quick and painful. They all managed to locate the one perfect dress between all the dresses in the story within just five minutes of looking. But hey, they'd had a lot of practice, and they _were_ all stunning. _That_ was probably helpful as well.

"Alice," Esme scolded, giving her tiny daughter a smirk, "you shouldn't try your dress on while Bella's here. She shouldn't see you in it before the dance."

Alice's face lit up like a kid's on Christmas day. "That's true!"

Rosalie joined the party when she stepped out again, dressed fully due to her quick vampire skills, "I'll keep Bella entertained while you dress shop." she offered, her eyes meeting mine for only a brief second, "But first we're gonna have to find Bella a dress as well. And we're gonna need your help on this one, Al."

Alice clapped her hands together in excitement, and Esme stepped into her changing room as well, to get dressed in her own clothing. Alice pulled me out of the chair and pushed me into Rosalie's deserted changing room. "Bella. Dresses. Now." she said, as she hung three dresses into the room, before snapping the curtains shut.

I stared at myself in the floor-length mirror for a second, mentally telling my queasiness to stop. Why on Earth had Rosalie just offered to keep me entertained – alone! - for a while? That did not seem like a good idea, _at all_. If I didn't know how much she loved Alice, I would have thought her sole purpose for this was to kill me in one of the bathrooms in the basement of the mall. At least down there, no one would hear me scream.

Snapping myself out of it, I quickly kicked off my shoes. I was supposed to be dress shopping. Dress shopping! Of course it was dress shopping for a dress I really didn't want to wear at a ball I didn't really want to attend, but I reminded myself that I was doing this for Alice. I was doing this because Alice deserved it. And who was I to complain really? The woman I love wanted to show me off on her arm, and I had objections? Well that was just stupid! I scoffed at myself and pulled off my sweatshirt and my jeans.

The first dress I tried on was a simple black one; it had spaghetti straps and went to above my knees. My every curve could be seen and it was entirely too tight for my liking. I gulped, before peaking outside. "I look stupid." I told the three women. They were all sitting on the sofa, looking completely fucking stunning in their everyday clothes. Better than I'd ever look in a festive attire.

"Shush!" Alice snapped, but Rosalie just grinned at me.

I stepped outside fully, and I could immediately tell that this was not what Alice had thought it would be. Shaking her head, she waved me back inside, and I scornfully had to change into a purple sort of baby doll dress, knowing it'd look just as ridiculous on me. So like that it went on; I tried on dresses in every possible colour and form and cut, and they all made me look completely stupid.

_I do not have a body suited for dresses. I simply do not,_ my mind screamed at me, after the tenth dress had been deemed useless.

Alice was realising this as well, I could tell. Every time I stepped outside, her face dropped a bit more. She wasn't thrilled that I'd been right about me and dresses. She had wanted to prove me wrong, but I just knew she couldn't. I just didn't wear dresses, I'd never done so, and that had been for a reason.

When I stepped into view for the 17th time, Rosalie groaned. "Alice!" she snapped, her eyes digging holes in her sister's head, "When are you going to put Bella out of her misery? Can't you tell that she just doesn't _wear_ dresses? This isn't fun for her, it's supposed to be fun!"

I could hardly say that I'd expected Rosalie to stand up for me, but I was thankful that she did. (But I also feared she'd expect something in return or... or maybe she had an ulterior motive? I was afraid to find out).

Alice whined, "But what else is she going to wear? She can't attend a ball in jeans!"

Esme studied me for a few seconds, before a small smile came onto her face. "There's another possibility Alice..." she murmured, before leaning over to whisper something in Rosalie's ear.

The blonde smirked, before she stood up and pushed me into my changing room. "Go. Change into your ugly jeans." she snapped in a demanding tone, before flinging the curtains shut behind me. I stumbled, but managed to catch myself against the wall, as Rosalie said, "Alice, I'm gonna go find something for Bella to wear. _Not in this store_!" she finished.

And then I heard them whisper outside, while I pulled the dress off and hopped into my nice and comfortable jeans. I had no idea what Rosalie had in mind for me to wear, but I had a lot to thank her for if it wasn't a dress. We were going to be alone to find it, but today had actually be going well – she hadn't snapped that much at me, and she'd even told Alice off on my behalf. Which was probably as good as I was going to get it with her. At least this dreadful shopping trip had accomplished me _something_.

Fully dressed again, I stepped outside, and Alice smiled warmly at me, before pecking my lips. "Go. Go shop with Rose. I'm gonna find my dress and shoes!" she cheered.

Rosalie snatched my arm and linked it with hers, quickly dragging me towards the entrance of the store. "First off," she told me harshly, as we stepped outside and she hauled me off towards another shop, "we're gonna find you some fuck-me stilettos. I have a plan for you, Bella Swan."

And actually (this was very hard for me to admit) it turned out that Rosalie's plan for me? Yup, it was really frigging awesome. She didn't want me in a classic dress like all the other girls at school would be wearing, she wanted me in something else, which actually worked out very well for me because one, I hated dresses, and two, this would make me and Alice blend in more, since I was – in fact – wearing pants.

We went into a tailor and Rosalie snapped at him and started going off a mile a minute about adjustments and women's suits, and I just stood there, letting the man measure me just about everywhere. The idea was that I'd be wearing a black suit; it would hug my every curve, Rosalie said, and beneath it, I was going to wear nothing but a black lace bra (I cringed at this, but Rosalie insisted that the blazer would be appropriately buttoned) and a red tie. _A red tie_! Seriously – where did she get it from? It was going to match Alice's dress.

And my stilettos? Yup, they were red, too.

"You're gonna be so hot, Bella." Rosalie said, as we excited the tailor. My suit would be ready for me in about a week, and Rosalie promised that she'd get someone to pick it up for me, and make sure that Alice didn't see it. "You're going to have to come dress up at our place. We'll dress together, you and I, Esme can help Alice. And I'll have to do your make-up and your hair!"

I didn't really know where the Rosalie who hated me had gone, but I was dying to find out.

We took a seat on a bench outside a jewellery store, where Rosalie said we'd meet up with the others, and I turned to her with a bunch of burning questions.

"_What_?" she snapped, her eyes scanning my face. Phew, the old Rosalie wasn't gone completely. I was kind of worried for a minute, there.

I chuckled. "I was just wondering why you were being so nice to me."

Rosalie cocked an eyebrow, "Huh?"

I elaborated, "Since you don't like me and stuff."

Rosalie's gaze went soft again, and she slowly brushed a finger across the back of my hand. "It's not that I don't like you, Bella," she whispered, her voice soft and adorable, so far from the bitchy person I usually saw, "you're actually pretty awesome, I just... I just don't want us to draw a lot of attention to ourselves, and Alice being Alice..." she sighed and paused briefly, huffing out air, "While being with you? Two girls? It'll just be more drama, unnecessary drama."

I could actually see where she was coming from, but I wasn't about to admit that. She was just scared for her family; scared they'd be found out and have to leave this place. This place where they could almost pretend to be _human_.

She gave me a smile then. The first real, sincere smile I'd ever received from her, and it warmed me, completely. "But I see the way you are with Alice, the way she looks at you and the way you look at her." she bit her lip in thought, "And how could I ever object to that? You're _perfect_ together."

She was right.

_We totally are.

* * *

_

_I'm SO incredibly sorry about the super-long delay. I totally didn't mean to, but I 'accidentally' started writing a Glee one-shot, and it got out of hand, and I had to finish it, before I could start this chapter... I hope it was worth the wait! It was just really meant to be a fun chapter with lots of Cullen goodness, so I hope you like that! I took a look at what I have in my notes so far, and counted that this story will be roughly twenty chapters or so, so there's still a while to go. I hope you're up for it! There's more drama to come... _

_And Rosalie? Yes. She's totally misunderstood and I love her character. She's not a bitch, I repeat: Not. a. bitch. She's frigging awesome, and I think that people are being unnecessarily harsh when they call her a bitch. She's really lovable once you get beneath her exterior... come on! Why else would Emmett be with her? ;-) _

_Anyways! Thank you so much for all the kind reviews, they really keep me going whenever I feel like I might be getting nowhere. _

_**Disclaimer; **I don't own Twilight – I really don't. _


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Chapter Fifteen **

It was like a fucking bad feeling of déjà vu.

Everything around me was pitch black. I couldn't see my flat converse shoes as I stumbled down the asphalted road, my heart thudding madly in my chest. The only sounds that could be heard were my shallow breathing and the sound of my feet hitting the ground as I sped up, knowing I could very well crash and burn, fall to my face on the ground and that'd be it. The only thing that made a sound in the shadow of the night was me. Otherwise – the silence was eerie.

My fingers clenched at my sides as I pushed myself to run faster. There was a light somewhere in the distance, if I squinted just right, I could pretend that I could reach it before something reached _me_. I just knew that if I could get there, Alice would be waiting for me, just like the last time I was running away from something.

I could feel their eyes on me; they were prickling my skin, tracing a feeling of conciousness down my spine as I tried to outrun them. I had no idea where they were; behind me, in front of me, right next to me? They could be throwing themselves from tree to tree and I'd never know. All I knew was that running from them was in vain. I'd never be able to actually escape, not if they didn't want me to. There were two of the world's most dangerous predators on my tail – no one could get out of that alive.

If Alice had been here, I might've stood a chance. She could've fought them, could have protected me somehow. Even Jacob would have been useful at this exact moment. But I was alone. Me, Bella Swan, was trying to run from something. And this time, I wasn't just running to escape my feelings or the fact that my mother was happily married to Phil, no, I was literally running for my life. But that didn't mean I was any better at actually doing so. My feet still got stuck in the smallest dents in the road, I stumbled across rocks and dirt, and my severe lack of any form of work-out was taking its toll on me.

A swipe of wind hit my face and blew my hair back as I ran. Normally this wouldn't have been weird in Forks, because it was always windy, but today had been particularly quiet and beautiful, so I just knew that whatever hit my face, it wasn't the weather. Something was running with me, right next to me, possibly just out of my line of vision. I couldn't hear a single thing except myself and the extremely loud screams that were emitting themselves inside my head.

I pushed myself to go faster, convincing myself that the light was getting closer, that I was reaching it, that I _could_ get there in time. I had to get there. If I didn't, there'd be no more Alice and me, no future with the Cullens. And I wanted that. I wanted it so, so badly.

My foot caught onto something on the road and I felt myself fall forward. Breaking the fall with my hands, I rolled to the side; my lungs were burning and my feet were aching. I was never going to make it. Never. I was a fool for even thinking I could. I just stayed there, on my back, my eyes glistening with unshed tears as they studied the silent night above me. There were no stars in sight; the entire sky was covered in grey clouds, and not even the moon could peek through and give me a ray of light. My breathing was getting calmer, and I could hear my heartbeat slow down as my chest rose and fell.

My followers hadn't announced their presence yet, but I knew they were there, lurking beside me, watching my every move. And they were going to show themselves. I was just a game to them, a delicious treat, and they were just having fun, before I'd feel cold lips pressed against my vulnerable neck, and I knew then, then my life would slowly drain from my hands, and I'd fall into nothingness, never seeing Alice's beautiful smile before me again.

Huffing in a deep breath, my eyes fluttered closed and I spread my arms out wide, relishing in the feeling of the rough ground beneath my fingertips, the small rock digging in my hipbone. Every part of me ached, possibly from the marathon I'd just run, or maybe to actually feel again; feel Alice's gentle touch just one last time before I completely left this world, with nothing but red eyes to see in the last few minutes of my life.

I took in a shuttering breath and willed myself to open my eyes. I was going to have to face them sooner or later, and now there was no sounds around me, not a single crack or movement, as I laid completely still. They were there though, the two of them, because I could feel them just nearby, like I always could. They were watching me, waiting for me, lusting for my blood on their lips.

Opening my eyes, I was met with a pair of deep blood-red pools hovering just mere inches from my own. Then I screamed.

**x**

I swear, it wasn't to be a total downer before the ever so important dance, but my nightmares were getting fucking scary. Every night, every _single_ night, I'd have the same awful dream. They'd be chasing me, Victoria and James, and I'd try to outrun them, knowing it was not a possibility. I'd fight though, until my very last breath, hoping against all odds that Alice would be there like the first time, to wait for me at the end of the road; that she'd be my light in the dark.

But I never came to her. Always,_ always_, I'd end up cornered. Either trapped between their two stone-like bodies, thrown up against a tree and caged in beneath one of them on the dirty road. And I'd always scream, the last thing I could see, a pair of red, hungry eyes.

And then I'd wake up. Completely out of breath and covered in a thin sheet of sweat. My sheets, the old t-shirt I slept in, they'd be soaked through. And I was so scared, frightened as I washed my clinging hair every goddamn night, because I knew they were out there waiting for me, just hanging around, hoping that a time would present itself, a time where they'd get me alone and do whatever it was they started.

Carlisle said to me that they were most likely lurking around Forks still. They'd been looking for them, the Cullens, just to make sure that they knew that I was off limits and they better take their hunting activities elsewhere because people were getting suspicious. But they hadn't found them, at least not on their side of the treaty, and I knew that the Quileutes hadn't found them either. For despite my tiny dispute with Jacob after finally telling him off, we still remained in contact with each other. But only about this, because I didn't want anyone to get hurt. And I didn't want to hurt Jacob either, by sending him the wrong signals (though I'd never sent him signals at all... how he could pick up on something I didn't send, I'd never know!).

But Jacob was all for protecting everyone else in Forks. Which was something he shared with the Cullen family. They didn't want more innocent people to get hurt, either. They wanted to confront Victoria and James and see if there was a reason that they were hovering around here still. I'd told them about Laurent, and Carlisle had a feeling that they wanted to revenge his death in some way. Which made me slightly worried about the wolves, but I hoped with everything I had that they'd be able to take care of themselves.

I'd told Alice about my dreams with Victoria and James, and she was positive that there might be something to it. She believed in all that, she'd said to me. So when my body informed me that I should be scared of Victoria and James, she believed that there was a reason. Carlisle couldn't understand why they'd go after me specifically, but Alice was adamant. My dreams added to some slightly disturbing visions she'd had lately – it all made her very worried about me and the part I was to play in Victoria and James' plan – whatever that plan was.

Apparently she'd had visions of the two red-eyed vampires coming for me, claiming me as their ultimate prey. Her visions tended to differ every day though; whenever Victoria and James changed their minds, Alice's visions would change too. She was confused, and I knew she hated not being in the clear. Edward found it quite amusing to see her so riled up because she usually relied a lot on her visions. But he also knew that it wasn't a joking matter, that Victoria and James really were out there, waiting – so he didn't push her buttons like he would've done, had it been something simple.

Esme was positively a wreck with all her nerves. I could tell that this worried her; she was scared that something would happen to either Carlisle or one of her babies (or even _me_). And her nervousness didn't die down the slightest after she overheard Edward, Carlisle and Alice discussing something Edward had neglected to tell most of his family after the night they saved me in the forest. Apparently he'd read some very interesting – though _very_ appalling – things in both Victoria and James' minds. Victoria was simple, Edward said, but she was vicious, and she'd do anything for James, her mate. James was the real problem though, because he was the hunter, and as soon as he'd realised that I belonged to someone, that another one of _his_ kind had claimed me as untouchable, he was very much intrigued to come and find me.

I felt bad for mentioning Alice and the Cullens when I thought back. But it had been the only thought I could come up with at the time, the only thing I could spit out to reassure myself in the slightest way. I just hated the fact that I might have fuelled his anger even more, and that I was bringing danger onto the people I cared so much about. I hoped it wouldn't backfire on me though, because if anything happened to any of them (even Rosalie, who I'd really started to grow comfortable with after our shopping trip) I'd never forgive myself.

"Bella?"

I looked up from where I was sitting in Rosalie and Emmett's stylish bathroom and gazed at the blonde vampire through the mirror. She looked absolutely stunning (but then again – when didn't Rosalie look stunning?) in her dress and her jewellery and the perfected make-up. Even her hair was perfectly sat; not a single strand of hair was astray, but I was damn certain that Emmett would be messing it up tonight when they got back to the house. Rosalie had kindly informed me so at least a dozen times while she was pulling at my hair (which had caused me to zone out completely, which was why she was now hissing at me through the mirror).

I smiled at her. "Sorry, Rosalie, I was just feeling the anticipation for tonight."

She snorted. "No you weren't, you were blocking me out. Which is completely inexcusable, mind you."

I grinned sheepishly at her. I had no idea what to say, but thankfully I was now comfortable enough with her to feel like I didn't need to dote on her every word and feel scared in her presence. It was a nice change, to be honest.

"Alice is gonna love you, though." Rosalie promised me, that kind glint in her eye coming back after she'd used approximately ten seconds to tell me off so I was reminded who was in charge here. "She's gonna wanna rip all your clothes off on the dance floor. You'll be much taller than her, but I think she can handle it."

She must've noticed my mortified expression, because she paused to lock her eyes with mine again. Sure, it wasn't that I minded the idea of Alice ripping off my clothes in any form or way, since our make-out sessions had only gotten hotter since we first started dating, and I felt that I was finally reaching the point where I was actually ready to take the final step, but – but the fact of the matter was that I was still a virgin, so a feverish blush rose to my cheeks then, and Rosalie was thoroughly amused.

She winked at me. "That's right! You guys still haven't done the deed yet." she laughed, but I knew it wasn't to be mean; this was her being friendly, "I don't exactly know how you're gonna pull it off though, you'll both be all hot and bothered, Alice will have to stay in complete control."

I felt like I could talk to her about this. She knew Alice and she _knew_ sex. Plus, I couldn't exactly discuss my thoughts on sex with my vampire girlfriend with any of my friends from school. I'm sure Angela and Jessica wouldn't take it very well. Rosalie was practically my only option, unless I wanted to go to Esme. Which I knew that I could, I just... I just figured that talking to Rosalie might be the best way to go. "We already talked about this," I muttered, and she stopped fidgeting with my hair, and turned me around on the chair so we were facing each other. "I know it's gonna be hard," I honestly told her, "but I feel like... I finally feel like I'm _ready_."

Rosalie smiled at me then. "I'm sure Alice will be thrilled. And I'm _sure_ you'll figure out a way to handle yourselves. You shouldn't worry about it too much, Bella. Just enjoy your night – you'll get to torture Alice, which is always fun!"

I laughed along with her as I turned back around to let her finish my hair. She'd been doubting whether or not to leave it down like my usual style, and had actually ended up leaving it in a high ponytail with my hair pulled back. I thought it gave me a nice office-look. But more in the sexy kind of way, since what I was wearing underneath my suit was not appropriate for meetings with my boss.

The blonde girl also did my make-up for me; I usually never wore make-up since I preferred to go all natural, but tonight Rosalie demanded that I wore my look to the fullest, which included smokey eyes and red lips. I had to agree though, that when she was finally done with me, I looked better than I ever thought I would be able to. It didn't even seem like me, and hadn't my reflection followed my every move, I would've thought it was a recently discovered identical twin or something.

Rosalie was quite pleased with herself, that was easy to tell. She wore a smug look as we left her room to go downstairs and wait with Emmett, Jasper and Edward. Esme was with Alice and Jasper's girlfriend Kate in Alice's room. I hadn't actually met Kate yet, since I'd arrived before her and Rosalie had dragged me off to get started on our looks as soon as I stepped into the house. But I'd be meeting her for the first time tonight and I wasn't worried; Alice had told me nothing but great things about her, so I was sure we'd get along just perfectly.

But I was mostly anticipating seeing Alice. I knew that she'd be gorgeous in her red dress. She was always gorgeous, no matter what she wore, but I'd always loved the colour red on her. She looked adorable in her red raincoat whenever she wore it (which was often, of course, because it always rained in Forks), and everything she owned was stylish. She couldn't just wear a pair of jeans; even in something like that, she looked like she belonged on a runway somewhere. So I knew she'd be stunning tonight, and I couldn't wait to walk into the ballroom with her later. Even if she wanted to dance, I'd do so – _once_ – because I couldn't say no to her.

I looked up when Esme bounced down the stairwell, giddy with anticipation. She stopped short in her tracks though, when her eyes caught my look. "Bella!" she hissed, mouth agape, "What is it that you're wearing? Is that your _bra_?"

I could feel the blush rise all the way from my chest and settle deeply into my cheeks, as I awkwardly crossed my arms in front of my unbuttoned blazer. I knew what I was wearing was revealing, and it didn't make it any better to have Esme comment on it like that.

Edward grinned mercilessly next to me, but Rosalie scoffed, "Esme! What are you doing? She looks hot!" the blonde snapped, before turning to look at her two brothers, "Ed? Jazz? Doesn't Bella look hot?"

Jasper dipped his head like a real gentleman. "She most certainly does."

"It was my first thought too." Emmett added, but with the look Rosalie shot him, he held up his hands in defence, "Hey! I'm just sayin', you know no one beats you, Rose."

Rosalie looked pleased with herself and firmly uncrossed my arms for me. Esme gave me a soft smile and placed a light kiss on my cheek, her cold lips sending a warm feeling throughout my body. "You do look beautiful, Bella. Alice will love you." she reassured me.

I relaxed slightly, only to find another person descending the stairs. Now this could only be Kate, because it certainly wasn't Alice, and the rest of the family was gathered in the hall. She was stunning, Jasper's girlfriend, with a mane of pale blonde hair, and those golden eyes on a milky, round face. I instantly liked her; she emitted an aura, just like the Cullens, of kindness and loyalty, but there was also something fierce about her – something tough. I couldn't wait to find out what it was, because I was pretty certain she had a kick-ass power (and Alice might've told me she did, too).

She was wearing a purple dress, simple and strapless, and a pair of black ballerina flats. She wore her hair down; it was completely straight, the exact opposite of Rosalie's wild and curly blonde locks, though today she had tamed them in her hairstyle.

Jasper placed a loving kiss on Kate's lips, before commenting on how lovely she looked. She thanked him, but her focus didn't stay on him for too long, and once more, I felt myself being studied closely by a pair of eyes. She stepped forward, slowly extending her hand.

"Hello." she warmly said, her smile reaching her eyes completely, "I'm Katrina, but everyone calls me Kate. I'm Jasper's... girlfriend. It's nice to meet you."

I shook her hand, fully prepared for the coldness of the touch. "It's nice to meet you, too. I'm Bella. I'm Alice's girlfriend."

"I know." Kate lightly said, dropping my hand. "She's told me so much about you. I was hoping someone like you would come along and swipe her off her feet. I have a feeling you and I will get to know each other _very_ well in the future."

I saw the glint in her eye, before she found her place next to Jasper, and I wondered what she meant. Hopefully, it was just a hint that I'd be joining the family someday, and so would she.

Checking the big clock on the wall, Rosalie was growing very impatient. "Alice, are you nearly done?" she questioned to particularly no one in the room, but we all knew that Alice would hear it clearly upstairs. "If we don't leave soon, we'll be late. I do want to be fashionably late so I can make an entrance, but this is borderline rude."

"Since when do you care about being rude?" Edward chuckled and nudged her gently in the side.

"Alice!" Esme snapped, tapping her foot impatiently against the hardwood floor.

My eyes were firmly set on the top of the stairs, so when Alice poked her head around the corner, I saw her grin clearly. "I was waiting for total and complete attention from you guys. You were talking, and I wanted all eyes on me when I made my descent." she kindly informed us, and I couldn't help but grin.

Emmett shook his head at her, "Well we're watching now Alice, so could you please come join us?"

Alice seemed to think that now was the perfect time for her 'descent', because she slipped fully from behind the corner, and once I caught a clear view of her, I swear, my breath left my lungs momentarily. I'd already come to terms with the fact that this person was the most beautiful creature in the world, but tonight – this was absolutely the most gorgeous I had ever seen her. Her trademark hair, with its chopped off ends and wild nature, was still as untamed as usual, but it was decorated with a hairband, it was simple and silver, but on one side of it was a red heart, truly in contrast to her ink black hair.

Her make-up was simple, simpler than usual, with only a bit of mascara and black around the edges, while her lips were only shimmering with a sheer layer of see-through gloss as she smiled at me. Her dress was red, like she'd said it would be, but I wasn't prepared for the way it was cut dangerously high on her thighs and left little to the imagination with the way it hugged her every curve to perfection. It was tight, and it had no straps, but a sweetheart neckline, which accentuated her breasts, which were – by no means – big, because that would have looked absolutely ridiculous considering the fact that she was so tiny. Her feet were in a pair of black boots, and to finish the outfit, she carried a black clutch in her left hand.

I felt like the entire world had gone still while I watched her walk down the stairs to greet me, but of course it hadn't, since there were – in fact – other people in the hall, and they'd all gone about their business, wanting to pile into the cars we were driving to school. Plus, Esme wanted to snap pictures of all of us before we left. I only snapped out of my complete enthralment with Alice when she stopped right in front of me, a blank expression on her face.

"You look so gorgeous." I breathed, before I even managed to catch myself. I don't know if I would have said something different though, because it was the truth, and I didn't think Alice minded me saying it. _Much_.

She blinked up at me a few times with a sheepish look on her face. "Wow." she whispered, and only then did I realise that I was dressed up too, and she was commenting on that.

I tilted my head to the side. "Do you like it?"

"I know I've seen it in my visions like a gazillion times, but that did in no way prepare me for what seeing you dressed like that – right in front of me – does to me." she breathed in heavily and squeezed her clutch tighter. "You look fucking hot, Bella."

Another blush rose to my cheeks, but I met her eyes anyway. "I can't compare to you or Rosalie or Kate, but..." I trailed off, "thank you."

Alice stepped forward and slowly wrapped her tiny arms around my waist. I grabbed her tightly too and placed my head against her head, loving the feeling of having her in my arms. "You're so much taller than me with those heels on." Alice whispered into my chest, her breath tickling the skin that was visible there due to the fact that I was indeed showing very much of my body. "Not that I don't love 'em. They make me wanna rip your clothes off."

We pulled back, but my hand lingered in hers. "Well, Rosalie did call them fuck-me heels, so that might be why."

"I have to thank her for this look." Alice seriously told me, before she grabbed me around my shoulders and pulled herself up by the mere strength of her arms. When she was on level with me, she placed her lips on mine in a slow kiss, and I felt like the entire world could crash and burn around us, and I'd be happy, still. She was perfect. _We_ were perfect. It was almost as if Victoria and James didn't matter if she just stayed close to me.

"You two," Carlisle interrupted us, stepping into the room, "Esme wants a picture of you, _then_ one of everybody, and _then_ you really need to leave for the dance."

Alice jumped off of me and pulled me with her into the kitchen. I didn't even care that I was grinning like some mad woman on every picture Esme snapped at us. I just couldn't help myself.

**x**

I'd never been to a school dance before ("You've _never _been to a school dance before? Loser!", "Shut up, Rosalie!"), so I was in no way prepared for what it was going to be like. I wasn't exactly the kind of teenage girl who watched sappy teenage films either, so I didn't even have those pictures in my mind. I was blown away when we entered the gymnasium where the dance was being held – everything was decorated nicely; there were flowers, glitter and balloons everywhere, and the music was thumping, vibrating through the wooden floors.

There were bodies everywhere; dancing, talking, eating and drinking. And in one end of the room was a photographer who was there to take pictures of everyone with their dates. Alice was practically giddy as she clutched my hand tightly to hers, her eyes wide as she took in the scene. She'd been to about a gazillion of these things, but she informed me that she'd never been to one with me, which made this all the more special.

Jasper, Edward and Kate said that they were going to find some drinks and pretend to be normal teenagers, while Rosalie and Emmett immediately went to the dance floor and started tearing it apart, much to the awe of all the students surrounding them. They were absolutely amazing dancers. I don't know why I would've thought any differently though, they were Cullens, weren't they? It had come to my attention that they were amazing at everything.

"Do you wanna go say hi to your human friends?" Alice whispered into my ear, and I followed her line of vision, which was settled on my group of friends, who had claimed a table at the other end of the gym. Jessica and Mike were there together, and so was Eric and Angela. Lauren and Taylor were supposed to be there together as well, but Lauren looked absolutely pissed off at the moment, which Taylor never seemed to care much about; not when she threw one of her fits.

I swallowed loudly and gave her a tiny smile. It was so nice of her, that she wanted to go with me to say hello to them. "I suppose I have to." I stated, and Alice nodded her head wildly, before she squeezed my hand even tighter and we zigzagged through the dancing students and approached my waiting friends.

They were all engrossed in conversations, but Angle had seen us coming and she bounced off the table to greet us. "Bella!" she cheered and wrapped her arms around me in a tiny hug, which was difficult, since Alice still had my hand in hers, "And Alice, hello to you."

"Hi Angela!" Alice happily chipped, as though this wasn't something out of the ordinary. I had never tried to introduce them to each other, not like this. Of course they knew each other, but they'd never really spoken before, so this was something else.

Angela retreated to her seat next to Eric with a small smile on her face, and I pulled Alice just a tiny bit closer.

Jessica gave me a once over and I was right when I'd thought that she'd be pleased. She'd often commented on how dull I dressed, and this was nothing like she'd pictured me dressed for a dance. "You look good, Bella." she told me seriously, and almost everyone at the table gave their mumble of approval too.

Alice's tiny hand came out to play when she straightened my tie for invisible wrinkles. "She matches my dress. Isn't it nice?"

"Very." Lauren sarcastically mumbled, but if Alice took notice of it, she didn't show. And I _know_ she took notice of it.

Trying to start up a kinder conversation, Mike looked at me, "Are you going to dance? I see that Emmett and Rosalie are..." he trailed off, because it wasn't like talking about Alice's siblings would be a better conversation topic than me dating Alice and our matching outfits.

Lauren took the silent as another opportunity to be completely rude, of course. "So you're wearing a suit with a tie and everything." she stated with a snort. "How very lesbian of you, Bella."

I felt my eyes widen, and though I desperately wanted to fire something back at her, I had no ideas whatsoever, because what she'd just said? Yes, nothing could top that in rudeness. She just completely crossed a line with me, a line that I didn't know I had, but she crossed it nonetheless.

Apparently Alice thought so too, because she dropped my hand and took a few steps closer to Lauren. She looked completely intimidating, much like she'd done the first night I met her, where she scared off those muggers. I knew this was the true vampire in her, the one that only came out when she wanted it to, but it worked effectively, because I could see Lauren swallow a lump in her throat.

"Don't piss me off, Lauren." Alice said, as she pulled her lips back in a sneer. "I may be smaller than you, but I can kick your ass any day of the week."

No one at that table doubted that. In fact, the boys looked scared as well, and only Angela had the guts to move her eyes from Alice to look at me. There was a questionable look on her face, and I gave her a reassuring smile. She was my best friend. She didn't need to be scared of Alice; Alice would never actually hurt anyone, she just wanted Lauren to back the fuck off. Which would be nice, because whereas I'd never particularly hated Lauren, Lauren had always had something against me.

I reached out and gently placed my hand on Alice's elbow, "Let's go sit with the others." I whispered to her, tugging her slowly backwards. I could see the growl disappear from her face, but her eyes were still set firmly on Lauren, until she reluctantly turned around and snuggled into my side.

The rest bid their goodbyes, and Alice and I made our way back towards the other end of the gym. She was quiet next to me, which was very unusual since Alice had always been a chatterbox. Honestly, the incident hadn't affected me that much. I know Lauren was a bitch, she always had been, and I had honestly thought that a lot of other students would have commented on my appearance with something along those lines. I was actually pleasantly surprised that she was the only one who'd said something.

"Hey," I whispered, pushing her lightly against the wall, a couple of tables from where I could see Edward's broody silhouette, "don't let that get you down. They're idiots, and this is supposed to be a night of fun for you."

She smiled warmly up at me, her cold arms settling around my neck to pull my head closer to hers. Was it weird that her cold skin practically started a fire across mine? "I just don't want to listen to those bastards! I'm sorry Bella, I shouldn't have snapped at Lauren like that, they're your friends."

"Lauren is not my friend." I firmly told her, bending my head down lower, so our noses were inches apart. "Lauren, I tolerate. You're – you're what matters, Alice, don't worry about it."

A happy smile overtook her face again, and she pressed her lips repeatedly against mine, before I caught the back of her head in my palm and kept her there for a while longer. I ran my tongue against the seem of her lips and she gladly invited it inside to play with hers. Tiny sparks erupted everywhere on my body, and I'd become quite familiar with the pool of heat that had a habit of settling itself in the pit of my stomach. Even the tingling between my legs was lovingly familiar now, which only proved my point – I was _so_ ready to take things to the next level with us.

Alice pulled back from me then, and I could see that her eyes had darkened slightly, but that she felt in complete control. "Let's not press our luck tonight," she breathed across my cheek, "people have generally been cool, let's not give them a reason to kick us out."

I chuckled warmly and pulled her into a hug. "I love you, Alice."

She looked up at me through her long lashes, "I love you too, Bella. I really am sorry though, that you have to go through this just to be with me."

I shook my head at her; I didn't want her to think like that. I wanted to be with her, I _chose_ this. She was worth it all. I could go through all of this if I got to have forever with her. And it wasn't like it was always going to be like this. People weren't like this everywhere, things could change here too, just slowly. "Don't say that. It's not your fault, people here are just morons." I said to her, as we started for the table where only Edward was sitting. "Back in Phoenix, it was totally OK to be gay. I mean – people didn't generally shout it from the rooftops, but it was just normal at my school. Like when someone decided to wear a hat."

Alice stopped in her tracks then, when something hit her. Turning to look at me, she placed her tiny hand on my cheek. "Bella? Have you-" her voice was small, but it rang like bells above the music in the room, "-have you told your mother about us?"

I bit my lip and promptly led Alice to the table. Edward was nursing a drink, and I caught sight of Kate and Jasper on the dance floor too, spinning around with Emmett and Rosalie as if they were having a competition to see who could get dizziest first. I looked at Alice seriously, and grabbed her hand. "It's not that I don't want to tell her, Alice, I just haven't told her yet. Charlie hasn't either."

She blinked. "But why?"

"I just-" I didn't want to meet her eyes, but the tug of her hand in mine eventually had my eyes meeting hers. "It's just something like this, being gay – it's really something you need to tell your parents in person. I don't wanna call her, and I don't have the kind of money to fly out there right now. Maybe she'll come visit during summer break, I don't know, but until then..." I shrugged my shoulders and trailed off, knowing that Alice would get my point.

She squeezed my hand again and nodded her head in understanding. I reached for Edward's drink; it was still full and he wasn't going to down it, so I might as well. I was the only one at this table, after all, who felt any sort of thirst – at least for the kind of drinks they served _here_ tonight. I was sure that it was taking great restraint for them to be around all these people in such a tiny room, with all that blood lustfully pumping quickly through their bodies as they danced and had fun.

The next couple of hours were great; Emmett and Rosalie never left the dance floor, which was slightly suspicious, but people were, apparently, used to it here, so they didn't comment too much on it. Jasper and Kate seemed to have fun as well, and while Jasper took Alice for a spin, I had a nice talk with Kate, and she told me about her family and where they lived. A few brave girls from school dared to ask Edward to dance, but he always declined like a true gentleman. Alice even managed to convince me to dance a few times, and while I felt like a complete idiot dancing with her (I'd just seen her spin wildly around with Jasper; they'd only been a blur on the dance floor), she seemed to truly enjoy dancing up against me, our bodies tugged close to each other.

I would have never thought it'd be possible for me to actually enjoy a school dance like this, but I really did. Alice and her family made it so wonderful, and I even ditched them for a little while, so I could go and hang out with my other friends. They were happy to have me, though Lauren did nothing but scold me when I pulled a chair up to their table. I was fully aware of the fact that Alice was dancing with Edward right then, and the three pair of vampires were tearing the dance floor apart.

Jessica, Angela and I had gone up to use the restroom right outside the gym, when something at the entrance caught my attention. The chaperones were trying to force someone to stay outside, and people were gathering around for the show, because apparently the idiot was not taking no for an answer. I stopped in my tracks though, when a familiar voice caught my attention.

_It couldn't be- no! He – he wouldn't... _

I excused myself to Angela and Jessica, who both looked quite confused, but I had bigger things to worry about. I made my way towards the entrance and my worst fears were confirmed; standing right outside, with his two giant friends, were Jacob, who was taller and bigger than most students in this school. It wasn't hard to know that it was him; after all, I knew that look. Our eyes locked for a moment, and though I wanted to be absolutely pissed at him for trying to crash a school dance at Forks High, something in his eyes told me that this was serious.

Something was up.

I held up a finger for him, wanting him to understand that I'd just be a minute. If something was up, I... I had to find Alice and the others, they had to know, they _should_ know. I had no idea what the problem was, but if it caused Jacob, Quil and Embry to come here – on this night – then it must be something big. And the only thing I could think of right now? It had something to do with vampires and werewolves and fights between mythical creatures. Not a very promising situation!

I was about to turn around to find the others on the dance floor, when two arms enveloped me. "What's going on?" Alice whispered into my ear.

I turned around then, and found all her siblings and Kate standing right behind her, worry edged across their faces. I shrugged my shoulders. "Jacob's here, I-"

"We know." Rosalie spat, her distaste for the Quileutes clearly confirmed with the look on her face, "I smelled them the second a swift of wind scurried through the door from outside."

Edward snorted. "His thoughts are a big mess, I can't make anything out of them."

Emmett looked as if Christmas had come particularly early this year; he seemed excited for some action. "What are we gonna do about this? Are we gonna talk to them?"

Alice looked at me, questions edged in her deep pools.

"I think something's very wrong." I seriously told her, and apparently that was all she needed to know, because a look of sheer determination came across her face, and she turned around and marched towards Jacob at the entrance. The rest of us quickly followed her.

I really was worried. I knew Jacob – I'd known him since we were kids – and the look on his face? It was not a good one. Plus, we'd come to a sort of understanding when we talked; he was over this, over trying to get me away from Alice and the Cullens. It didn't mean he didn't want me, it just meant he didn't want to try and pry me away from them. So why else would he be here? He had no business here, other than in the case of an emergency. And the feeling in the pit of my stomach definitely told me that this was some sort of emergency.

Emmett was giddy as he followed right behind Alice outside, but I could see Jasper, Rosalie and Edward share a knowing look between them. This had something to do with Alice, I just knew it. I'd had those dreams of Victoria and James, and Alice had had plenty of visions... what if... What if she'd had visions about tonight?

I felt my throat tighten.

We all stepped outside, into the cold night air, and Jacob pulled me to him, crashing me into his warm chest. "Shit Bella..." he mumbled, wrapping his arms around me tightly.

"We need to talk now, Jake, we don't have time for this." Embry seriously told him, his dark eyes moving from Jacob to me, to each and all of the vampires who had now joined us.

Edward stepped across the parking lot to where our cars were parked, and everyone followed him, knowing that this was probably a conversation that was better left between only us. I could feel the tension around all of us. Not only because something was obviously wrong, but because we were gathered here, together, one human, three werewolves, and six vampires.

"Spit it out, dog." Rosalie told Jacob then, when he finally let go of me, and I snuggled up to Alice's side, desperate to have her close to me.

"It's the redhead and her mate!" Jacob barked and angrily kicked his bare foot into the ground, Normally I would have told him to cut it off since he'd end up breaking a toe or two, but tonight I didn't really mind; bigger things were at stake, I knew that. "We've been patrolling our side of the treaty, just like we know you've been checking yours. They haven't left, they've – they've been around here since we killed off the first one."

Kate, who apparently knew about all of this, clenched her fist tightly. "Of course they have! No one just kills someone from a coven and expects it to go unpunished."

Jasper nodded his head lightly. "It's true, we're, by nature, very protective of not only our mates, but also our covens."

"'Course you are!" Quil said, but added an eye roll for good measure.

Emmett bounced up then, and I was sure he was going to burst soon if he didn't get the entire story. "What's going on? You've been patrolling? What then?" he rambled off.

Jacob shared a look with Quil and Embry, before turning back to look at Alice and me, "We finally caught something tonight, something _fresh_."

I could tell by the way my girlfriend tensed that this was not good news. I gasped at Jacob. "Fresh? A fresh trail? Where did it go, Jake? Please! Where did it go?"

My head immediately filled with pictures of Charlie being killed and tortured by the two vampires, followed by pictures of Carlisle and Esme – just the two of them – caught off guard in their giant house, having to fight them off alone. I knew Carlisle could do it, but Esme was so tiny. Would she be able to take Victoria?

Edward took a step forward and glared directly at Jacob, "Where did it _go_, Jacob?"

Jacob heaved in a deep breath and threw his arms out, gesturing to nowhere in particular. "It went _here_."

As soon as the words left his mouth, I felt Alice's grip tighten around me even more, as the rest of her family turned around, their eyes flickering around the black parking lot, towards the ray of light that streamed from the full gymnasium, where the entire youth of Forks was gathered, partying away. I drew myself closer to Alice and held in my breath.

What now?

* * *

_I feel like I'm a bad fanficiton writer when I don't update so quickly. I truly apologise for that, things are just so hectic lately! I really do wanna update more regularly though, so I hope the next chapter will be here quicker! _

_I hope you liked this chapter too – as promised, Victoria and James are back now, and it's time to really play ;-) _

_Thank you so much for the nice reviews you left me for the last chapter. They do mean the world to me! _

_**Disclaimer; **I don't own Twilight. _


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Chapter Sixteen **

I could not believe that this was happening. Since I got away from Victoria and James that night, I'd been trying to avoid going anywhere alone, trying to avoid venturing out of the house after it was dark; not without Alice. I'd even kept an eye on Charlie and made sure he got home everyday before the sun went down. I'd been so worried that Victoria and James would be back, ready to strike me when least expected. And I didn't want to hurt Charlie, and I didn't want to get killed by them, not when I was finally happy with Alice.

But in my desperation to keep everyone I cared most about out of it, I'd finally led them here. Of course they'd not just opt for the easy way and leave me be; of course they'd fight until they got what they wanted. And they were vampires – evil ones at that – and tonight, there was a full gymnasium and no easy ways to run. I'd driven them right to all of my friends and classmates. It'd be so easy for them; kill off the guards, go inside, lock the door and then just – have a ball. Before anyone managed to call the small police force we had in this town, they would have emptied everyone for every last blood of drop. It was a sick scenario to have; but it was the truth.

And I felt so guilty. It was my fault that they were all in danger now. Victoria and James were _here_. As in hiding in this parking lot, or behind the building, or maybe in the edge of the forest right behind the school's art building. And there was no fucking way that anyone who tried to go home now, would get out of here alive. It was a good thing that the dance didn't end right now, because that would have caused a disaster of epic proportions.

"What are we gonna do?" I whispered, my eyes moving across each of the Cullens.

Edward and Kate shared a look, and with a tiny nod from Edward, Kate brushed a piece of her blonde hair behind her ear and swept across the parking lot for a quick look. She was back before I managed to blink.

"Can't see 'em." she said.

Emmett clenched his fists tightly and set his jaw. "They're here now! Let's find them. Between all of us, it must be possible."

Alice shook her head. "We can't chase them here, Emmett! There's a gymnasium full of people right there. Someone will see."

Rosalie snorted. "Bigger picture, please!"

I swallowed loudly. I was glad that Alice could see the dangers of having everyone present at the time, but I also knew that Emmett was right – they were here now. Who knew when they'd be back? I was quite positive that they were after me. And they wouldn't give up, and how many people were going to get hurt in the process?

"Look," Jasper said, sharing a deep look with Alice, "you're quite certain that it's _Bella_ that they want, right?"

I could see that this was new information to Jacob. But of course – how would he know? I hadn't willingly given him the entire story, since it wouldn't go down well with him. He'd just resent the Cullens even more, thinking that it was their fault that I was in danger now.

Alice's tiny hand ventured down to meet mine, and our fingers interlocked tightly. "My visions tell me that it is. I'm just-" her eyes flickered over to Jacob slowly, before settling on the ground, "- I'm just not _sure._"

"But how are you not sure?" Embry disbelievingly scoffed at her. "You broken, or something?"

Edward's steel gaze met his. "Alice's vision are subjective, and-"

But Alice cut him off, not wanting to hear the lecture once more. "They change, yes, as people change their minds. But it's not just that." she swallowed again and squeezed my hand for good measure. "I've only discussed this with Carlisle because we're not sure, but everytime the wolves are involved – I get these blackouts. I can't see past their pack."

Jacob got a satisfied smile on his face, but this was hardly the time to be smock. We didn't even have time for this conversation that we were having right now. Who knew what Victoria and James were planning? They could be waiting for the perfect time to attack, and I couldn't just let everybody stand here and do nothing. Not with Jessica, Angela, Mike and everybody else inside that school.

I dropped Alice's hand from mine and looked to Edward. I had a feeling that he'd know what to do best. "We can't just stand here!" I told them all, "We need to do something!"

Emmett nodded in agreement. "Bella's right, we can't let them get away."

"But what do we do?" Kate added, with a sideways glance at Jasper.

"James is the stronger one of the two, he's most dangerous." Edward replied, squeezing his eyes tightly closed. He was trying to pick up on where they were at, but wasn't having any luck, it seemed. "They're watching their thoughts, nothing gives away their plan, plus – all those human thoughts are making it difficult to hear them clearly."

Rosalie made a decision then. She ran a finger through her beautifully styled hair and lost the Barbie pens to the dirty ground. "Let's split up," she firmly said, shaking her hair out, before she wrapped a scrunchie around it with a satisfied look, "the dogs take Victoria, and we go after James."

I liked that plan! It was good, it was a plan after all. There was only one problem, though...

"But we don't know where they are." Quil pointed out with a cocked eyebrow.

Rosalie hissed at him. "Don't act smart with me!"

He took a step backwards, clearly slightly intimidated by the feisty blonde.

Kate heaved out a deep breath and gazed at everyone. "That cool with everybody?" she stopped with a pointed look at Alice and it seemed like they shared some sort of silent communication, because a few seconds passed, before the blonde continued, "We need to get Bella home. If it's her they want, she shouldn't be here."

Edward glanced at Alice, "You'll take her home."

"And fight a battle without me?" Alice piped up, clearly offended. That was probably the highest I'd ever heard her voice go. She clearly didn't want to miss the action, and I couldn't agree more. She shouldn't have to, and I shouldn't either. I didn't want to hold them back, but I didn't want to lure them back to Carlisle and Esme either. I'd feel bad about that. "You can't win without me," she continued with a small head-shake, "without my visions. They'll get away. If we split from the werewolves, I'll be able to see James' every move."

No one bothered to disagree with her, though Edward looked slightly pissed that she'd gone against him. I spoke up then, "Don't worry about me, I'll stay here, I'll... I'll figure something out. I'll just go wait in the cafeteria so I don't lure them into the gym."

"You can't stay there by yourself, Bella." Alice whispered to me, her golden eyes filled with worry and love, and I felt my heart tighten.

I stood closer to her, wrapping my arms around her, "I won't be alone for very long, Alice – you guys will come find me. If they find me first, you'll be right there, too."

Alice didn't look convinced when she pulled back, but apparently the rest of them thought that they were good to go. Kate shared a look with Jasper, before she scurried across the parking lot again, inching closer to the beginning of the forest with reluctance. I could barely see her, except her blonde hair which stood out in the dark night, but apparently she was trying to figure out where they were at, possibly trying to lure them out.

Suddenly Edward took a step forward and pressed a hand to Jacob's bare chest. "They're splitting up. She's moving. She's going onto your land, alert the rest of your pack."

Even though I could tell that Jacob was not pleased with taking orders from Edward, he didn't question him, but turned around and ran straight in the opposite direction of where Kate was at, Quil and Embry following right in suit.

Everyone's attention turned to Alice then, and just two seconds later, she got that blank expression across her face; the one that meant that she was having a vision. Her eyes kept moving from side to side, following the actions inside her head, and I held my breath. The only sounds in the otherwise silent night, were the sounds from inside the school, where - luckily – no one was aware of the drama unfolding right here in the parking lot.

When Alice snapped right out of it, a satisfied smile was on her face. "He's right here, doubting what to do. He wants Bella." she cast a brief glance at me, before looking at Jasper, "We can get him now. We just have to believe that the wolves will get her."

"They _will_." I firmly said, believing with everything that Jacob could do it, that I was right to put my faith in him.

Alice shut her eyes again and let out a very audible gasp, and right as I was about to question her what was wrong, a loud growl was heard from the other end of the parking lot. We all turned around on the spot, and before I even managed to realise what was happening, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie were speeding in between cars, getting ready to come to Kate's aid. I could barely tell what was going on through the dark, but Alice kissed my cheek in haste and explained it to me.

"James took her by surprise. He's strong, stronger than Emmett."

Edward and Alice gazed at each other, and I was pretty sure that they were communicating again. And it bothered me, because I wanted to know what was going on. I saw Edward give Alice a small nod, and a smile broke out on her face.

"Thank you!" she happily cheered and pressed a kiss to his cheek too, before she raced across the lot as well, and I found myself alone with Edward. It felt so wrong, sending her off like that when I was left here, and she was going to put an end to this – whatever this was. I could hear the growls in the distance, and Emmett was yammering on about something, before even the slight shadows I'd been able to squint to see were out of sight, bouncing quickly into the forest.

Edward trust his cell phone into my hand and placed a protective arm around me. "We're going to the cafeteria, Bella." he firmly told me, pulling me quickly along the line of cars, towards the darker end of the school. I had no worries about how we would get in there, because it seemed rather unimportant that we were trespassing at this point. However, I was confused as to what he was doing here with me.

I glanced up at him, running in my high heels to keep up, "Why are you here? What's happening?"

"Alice doesn't want to leave you alone, and it seems rather stupid that you don't know what's going on, right?" he sheepishly asked me with a cocked eyebrow. "I'm so attuned to my siblings, I'll be able to tell what's going on, while I'm here to protect you."

I sighed in relief. That actually made pretty good sense. Even though they were now one less vampire to do this, they were still five against only James. Edward and I ducked into the school through the main entrance and scurried down the empty hallway, past Alice's locker, then mine, where we'd been making out just this morning before heading off to class. I felt the butterflies flap their wings in my stomach at the thought, but when Edward pushed me through the doors to the cafeteria, reality hit me. Technically, I shouldn't think of Alice right now – we needed to focus on this.

Edward motioned towards his phone, "Call Esme, let them know what's going on, I'm going to check the rooms around here real quick. Be right back!" squeezed me tightly for a second, before he was off with a flash.

I bent my head, and though my fingers were shaking – I was really nervous, even though I was supposed to be safe here – I quickly managed to scroll through Edward's advanced phone and find Esme's number. I pressed the green button and placed the phone to my left ear, before I pulled a chair out and sat down, tapping my fingers against the table in front of me.

When Esme answered, she sounded worried. "Edward? Why are you calling me now – did something happen?"

"It's Bella." I breathed.

There was a silence on the other end, before Esme replied to me. "Bella? Sweetheart, why do you have Edward's phone? Is there something wrong?"

I swallowed loudly and willed myself to pull it together. I had to stay calm and focused, because this could end badly if just _one_ thing went wrong. "Victoria and James showed up here. So did the wolves." I whispered.

"Oh no."

"Yeah, I..." I paused again and closed my eyes for a second. _Get it together, Bella!_ "The wolves went after Victoria, but I'm not sure they can keep up with her, she's disappeared on them before, and if she crosses the treaty..." I trailed off, knowing she'd get the hint, "And the others went after James, chasing him away from all the students. Edward and I are hiding in the school cafeteria, and I just feel so guilty, because it's me that they want and I-"

Esme cut me off with a loving schuss. "Bella, don't think like that." she told me in a caring voice, "You say that the others are chasing James, he's good, okay, but he's not that good. He might be able to get away from them if they split up, but he'll never get to you. And don't worry, Carlisle and I will check the woods around the house to see if Victoria comes by. We'll keep you updated, honey. You needn't worry."

I could feel my beating heart slow down rapidly, and it felt nice to be reassured like that. Esme had this air around her; just her mere presence, or the sound of her voice, it was enough to make me believe that everything would be okay. Even if Alice was out there somewhere, instead of here with me. "Thank you." I breathed, before it pressed the red button and let her get to it.

I squeezed Edward's phone tightly in my palm and turned around, listening intensely to any sounds. I couldn't tell how far Edward had gotten in his pursuit to check the school, and the only sound I could hear was the low rhythm of the bass from the gymnasium. There was something so completely eerie about it, and though I knew that I wasn't, I felt more alone than I'd ever done before.

"All's clear."

I practically jumped out of my skin when Edward snuck up behind me in true vampire-fashion and announced his presence. I turned around to meet his grin with a hard glare. "Not funny, Edward!"

He laughed lowly. "What did Esme say?"

"They'll stay put, check around the forest."

Edward nodded and wordlessly took a seat on the chair next to mine. I already felt a lot better, having him here with me, because at least I wouldn't just be a defenceless human in case James somehow escaped the others and managed to come find me here. I placed the phone on the table and slid it across it to Edward.

He smiled at me and said, "They're on the move. They've split into three groups, Alice is patrolling the area around school-" he held up his hand to stop me when he realised I was about to voice my opinion on that, "she'll be fine, she's got her visions to keep control, she just couldn't leave your human friends alone in that gymnasium."

I sighed in relief. Alice did have the best odds out of anyone to take care of herself. She'd be able to realise when – _if_ - James would be returning to school grounds. Plus, it felt nice to know that she wasn't out there fighting him head-to-head. And it was so nice of her to think about my other friends. She really was the most amazing girlfriend I could have ever wanted.

"All's good out there, by the way." Edward continued, "Jasper and Kate took off running after him through the forest, while Emmett and Rosalie decided to take another way, preferably running straight into him – they want him cornered, he's so fast, it's going to be hard to catch him without doing so."

I nodded again. "Okay... they're all... good now, right?"

Edward reached a hand out and gently pressed it to my arm, "So far... they're all good."

I felt my shoulders relax as I leaned back against the hard cafeteria chair. It was stupid of me to be so worried about them. They were five against one – there was no way any of them would get harmed. I shouldn't feel guilty just sitting here, letting them fight a battle for me. I was glad that Edward was here with me though, even if I would have preferred to be tucked gently into Alice's side. She was better put to use out there though... and Edward, Edward was better put to use here, protecting me. I needed to know what was happening, and he could tell me that.

"Jasper and Kate reached the river. They've lost all trace of him." Edward said, effectively breaking my train of thoughts. As my eyes turned to meet his, he continued, "Emmett and Rose are running along the treaty now, there's no sign of either James or Victoria, perhaps she's still on Quileute land, I-" he paused, squeezing his eyes together in confusion for a second, as he undoubtedly received a message from one of his siblings, "-scratch that, they just caught Victoria's scent, they're running to follow it."

He was quiet for a second then, and I thought that perhaps everything was quietening down, but suddenly his eyes widened and I could tell that something had happened; something that definitely wasn't supposed to happen. His entire face looked panicked and when our eyes locked, I had to swallow loudly.

"James just attacked Jazz and Kate – he took them completely off-guard, he's got _them_ cornered now." he muttered, and I felt my heart start to beat wildly in my chest again. Alice was in the parking lot, Rosalie and Emmett were following Victoria... Jasper and Kate were alone against James. Suddenly, their odds weren't as impressive as they used to be! "Don't worry, I'm sure Jasper will be able to handle him, he's strong." Edward tried to reassure me, but I could tell that he was feeling worried too, "Kate can't get a good hold on him to use her powers, Jasper's trying to get a grip around him. They're dancing around each other, Kate's sneaking up on him, and James are-" he cut himself off, and a defeated look edged across his features.

I breathed deeply in, "What happened? Are they OK?"

"James took off again." Edward whispered, shaking his head slowly, his hair bouncing lightly as he went. "They're not going to following him, Kate's pissed, but Jasper says they have to let him go. He's worried because Rosalie and Emmett didn't show. He doesn't know they're currently tracking down Victoria's scent through the forest."

I bent my head into the palms of my hands on the table and groaned. This was all so messed up! James had actually gotten away from them, and now Alice was alone in the parking lot, and he'd probably come looking for me right _there_. This was one of the most idiotic plans I'd ever been a part of!

Suddenly Edward's cell phone started going off again, and he flipped it open with a huff of air, "Esme!" he mumbled, and then I tuned him out completely, because the conversation they proceeded to share was too fast and low for my ears. Instead, I got off of the chair I was sitting on and tiptoed across the cafeteria to press my nose against the window that viewed the parking lot. I could see the lights from the gymnasium and the dull shadows of the cars that were edged around the small lot, but I couldn't tell where Alice was at.

It was too dark – pushing twelve o'clock on my watch – and since the moon wasn't out, there was no light available. I squinted my eyes, willing myself to locate Alice, but it was impossible. I couldn't tell whether or not she was near the forest, or leaned up against a wall. She was probably all to aware of what was happening with her siblings and James, so she knew to be on look-out. I just didn't like the fact that she was all alone out there, and I pondered telling Edward to go join her. I'd just take care of myself, hunch beneath one of the tables and stay out of sight until this entire thing blew over.

"That was Esme." Edward sombrely informed me from across the room, and I turned around with a moan to look at him. "Victoria is definitely right nearby the house. I have no idea what happened to the Quileutes, but..." he trailed off, shaking his head again, "Rosalie and Emmett are walking straight into the fire. Don't get me wrong, it'll be better, they'll be four to Victoria's one, but maybe James will be there too, I just-"

I knew what he was thinking. It seemed so stupid that I was holding him back right here, when there were things he could be doing there. And what was most likely? That James would come looking for me – or for his mate? My bet was on Victoria. This little chase had been going on for far too long tonight, and it was a possibility for them to retreat – at least for a while. And it wasn't like I would be completely unattended to if Edward left to join Rosalie and Emmett. Alice was right out on the parking lot, and Jasper and Kate were in the forest somewhere, most likely making their way back to us. It was completely ridiculous to keep him here.

I took a step forward, "_Go_!" I said to him, motioning towards the door, "Go to them, Edward. I'll be OK here. Go."

He wasn't sure, I could tell as much with the way he was looking at me right now. He probably feared the wrath that Alice would show him when she found out he'd left me alone. But I'd tell her I told him so. Plus, I _wasn't_ alone. There were three vampires around somewhere, and they'd keep me safe.

"Edward, go!" I said once more, and this time, he actually listened.

He was before me in a flash, pressing a brotherly kiss to my forehead, with my head between his giant fingers. "Alice is right out there, Bella. She won't let anything happen to you."

I locked my eyes to his. "I know that."

He gave a short nod, before he'd turned around and was out of the cafeteria within a second. The huge double-doors smacked close behind him, and I found myself alone again. And just like before, when Edward hadn't been here, the silence scared me, and I thought it best to huddle beneath the giant counter where all the food was located during school hours. I bent down to get out of my heels with the idea that even though I'd never be able to outrun a vampire, my chances would indeed be better if I weren't wearing three-inch stilettos. I pushed them to the side and scurried across the floor, to sit with my knees to my chest. I could feel my cell phone digging into my hip from its position in my pocket, but I didn't mind. I placed my arms around my knees and pressed them closer to my chest. The sentiment gave me a feeling of security somehow.

I tried to keep my breathing steady and my ears peaked. Vampires could be painfully quiet doing almost anything, and there was a risk I wouldn't be able to tell whether or not one was near. Of course I shouldn't worry like that, Alice would make sure that James didn't get into the school, but I still found myself completely tense because I _knew_ it was a possibility. I had no lights on though, and there was no telling that someone was actually in this room right now, so if I just stayed absolutely quiet, hopefully Alice would come gather me up when the coast was clear.

A loud bang echoed through the school and I recognised the familiar smack of the front door entrance. Normally, one wouldn't have been able to hear it through the hallway and to the cafeteria, but because this wasn't a usual school-day with students chatting and laughing, the tiniest of sounds could be heard. I hugged myself even closer and waited, hoping that whoever had come in through the front door would not go in here – unless, of course, it was Alice coming to be with me. I breathed out slowly and held my breath. I could hear no sounds of footsteps or doors opening and closing, everything was silent, and I wondered for a painful second, if anyone would be able to hear me scream when James found me. Alice wouldn't have been so quiet, she would have called out my name so I could announce my presence.

No, this was definitely James. He hadn't gone to collect Victoria, he'd gone to find me, obsessed with his hunt. I wondered how he had come into the school, past Alice, and hoped that she was okay out there, thinking I was okay in here. I couldn't help but think of the others too. How long would it be before they figured out that James wasn't with Victoria? That they were only dealing with the vicious redhead?

When the door to the cafeteria creaked open with a sound straight out of a horror-film, I willed myself to stop breathing. The simplest of sounds, and he'd hear me with his super-hearing. I had to sit completely motionless, as a statue. But I knew it was in vain... I was sweaty and gross, and my blood was pumping furiously through my veins. He could definitely smell that I was in this room, there was no doubt about it.

My instincts told me to burst out of my hiding place and make a run for the door. Just like my various dreams always told me to do; they told me to run, to try to get to the door, to make a break for it. But what was the point? He was a _vampire_, for Christ's sake! He'd catch me before I was halfway out the door.

I listened closely again. I couldn't hear him moving around, but I knew he was still in the room, because the door hadn't gone again. It would only be a matter of minutes before he ventured around the counter and saw me here, huddled together, and then I'd be really screwed with no chance of getting away. I bit my lip in thought. I _had_ to get away. There was no way in fucking hell that I was going to be that vampire's dinner tonight. I had too much to live for, too much to look forward to. I couldn't bare it if this would be my last minutes, when I'd started getting used to the idea of having forever with Alice. It just didn't seem fair that happiness had been dangled in front of my nose like that, and now it was going to be torn away from me so quickly.

But how could I get out? How would I got about it? I'd need a distraction, and I'd need to catch him completely off-guard. Unfortunately, I didn't have very long to figure this plan out, because the longer I was sitting behind this counter, the closer he was at finding me.

I didn't get to think this through though, because suddenly my phone started vibrating repeatedly in my pocket, and in the midst of everything, I pulled it out, very aware that my cover was blown. Scrambling to my feet, my eyes saw the name flashing across my screen.

_Alice _

Turning my eyes upwards, I let them wander across the vacant lunch room, until they settled on what I've been dreading to see. James was there, standing by the other end of the room, near the windows, holding one of my stilettos in his hand, dangling it from his fingertip. Our eyes met, and though it was dark I could tell that a giant smirk just appeared on his face.

Flipping my phone open, I never let my eyes stray from him. Any movement on his part, and I'd react. My heart was beating wildly, and this was my only chance to talk to Alice, if I blew it, it would be too late. "He's here." I breathed into the phone, and just as the words left my lips, he dropped my shoe to the ground and flew across the floor to me. I scrambled backwards and flung a chair over, hoping that it'd harm him, slow him down – something. I didn't bother to look backwards, it'd only stall me, and my phone was on the floor, because I managed to drop it in my moment of sheer panic.

I ducked beneath one of the round cafeteria tables and proceeded to crawl from then on, but I paused when I stilled to look around me, I couldn't locate his feet anywhere – they were simply out of sight. With my heart in my throat, I realised that he was most likely crouched on top of the table right now, waiting for me to make my next move. He could have killed me long ago, but it wasn't just for the fun of killing me that he was doing this. I knew that – without a doubt – he was enjoying the chase, enjoying seeing me trying to get away from him more than he'd enjoy tasting my blood.

I was just a game to him – a fucking sick game.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are..." he teased from above me, and a sudden batch of rage hit me and I decided to put it to good use; hunching my back upwards until it touched the underside of the table, I reached for the nearest aluminium leg and pulled up. I wasn't a strong person, but I took him by surprise and managed to turn the table over, by pushing my back into it, thus sending him flying somewhere. I didn't stop to look though, I simply made a run for it; my eyes focused on the doors the led into the hallway; I just had to go through them, and then Alice would be right there. We hung up about a minute ago – no more than that – and she would be coming for me, I knew it.

I fell forwards then, smashing my chin into the ground harshly, immediately getting the metallic taste of blood in my mouth. He'd grabbed my legs, that damn motherfucker, to pull me backwards and I held onto the ground with my short nails, desperately reaching for the closest table, anything to keep me away from his vicious hands. I kicked my legs backwards, upwards, from side to side, hoping that I'd hit him, possibly poke his eye out with my big toe. But I felt his cold hands sneak up my leg and turned my head to look at him; he'd pulled the pants up on my right leg, and his red lips were hovering mere inches from my calve.

Emitting a scream louder than I thought I was able to, I turned just in time to see a flash of red and black break the door down. He'd locked it, that fucking prick. But my Alice was all over it, and before neither James nor I had time to really figure out what was happening, Alice flew across the floor and pushed him off of me.

The relief I felt was bigger than any other emotion I'd ever had before (perhaps except for loving Alice), and I just knew that I was going to be okay. I pulled myself to my feet and backed towards the wall, my eyes following the blur of bodies as James sent Alice slamming to the ground. I squeezed my eyes in horror, but knew that she was okay; she was on her feet seconds after, effectively missing every hit James sent her way, undoubtedly using her visions to predict his next move. James looked completely pissed off at the fact that such a tiny vampire – a girl nonetheless – was kicking his ass, because she was also much faster than him, and managed to clonk him into the desk where I'd been hiding just ten minutes ago.

They were moving so fast, I could hardly tell what was up and what was down, and who was in charge right now. I just pressed my back to the wall, knowing I couldn't help Alice in any way. The pain in my chin was pounding and I spat out a mix of blood and saliva to the floor. I could feel my jaw moving weirdly – something was broken in there, if it wasn't unhinged.

Another flash broke through the cafeteria, and suddenly Jasper and Alice had James pressed against the wall; Alice her hands on his right upper arm, Jasper with his entire bodyweight pressed against his left. He was growling, and both Alice and Jasper had to use all their strength to keep him there, up against the wall, as he kicked and sneered to get away from them.

"That was a bad move, dude!" Alice hissed at him, looking up at him, while Jasper nodded in agreement, pushing his body even harder into James'.

I felt someone tug on my arm gently, and turned my head to the side. Kate stood there, her eyes completely black. Her entire dress was ripped to pieces and her makeshift ponytail was full of leaves and tiny branches. "You're hurt." she whispered.

I absent-mindedly pressed a finger to my chin, knowing that the blood wasn't doing anything to help the situation, that it was most likely driving all the vampires in this room insane – even the three good ones. I shot her an apologetic look, "Sorry 'bout the blood." I winced; it hurt like shit trying to talk.

"Go outside." Kate informed me, forcing me towards the door. "Edward and Carlisle are on their way. It won't be pretty in here. I'll send Alice out as soon as they come, she'll get you home, okay?"

I nodded and cast a short look towards the other end of the cafeteria, where Jasper was dangerously close to ripping the bastard's leg off, if the look on his face was any indication at all. I had no idea what they would do to James, how they would get him to stay away from me. I didn't even know how it was possible to 'kill' a vampire... I just knew that Jacob and the pack had destroyed Laurent, so it had to be possible somehow. They were probably waiting for Carlisle to get there though, waiting to hear what he had to say, because they didn't want to do it unless it was okay by him.

I walked slowly down the deserted hallway and stepped into the cold night air outside, my bare feet scraping against the hard ground. I sat down on the stairwell, my eyes moving to the gymnasium where the party was still rocking, towards the road, waiting for two headlights to come.

It didn't take very long, thankfully, because I was getting cold and I was so worried about what was going on inside. I met Carlisle and Edward when they parked Carlisle's car, and his eyes immediately went to my chin. "I'll take a look at that later." he kindly informed me, "Are they in the cafeteria still?"

I could do nothing but nod, and Carlisle offered me his keys, before he and Edward jogged across the parking lot and into the school. I could feel my heartbeat slowing down greatly as I realised that it was over soon. For me it was, at least, because I was safe and they were going to deal with James and make sure that he never returned back for me again. I slipped into the passenger's seat and placed the keys in the ignition, waiting for Alice to come outside so we could get back to their place.

What a night this had been. And I had a feeling – it was far from over.

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_Bah. This chapter kicked my ass. It's seriously hard to really write these vampire parts, y'know, where it's supposed to be really scary and intense. It's definitely something I need to work on, because it's been tough. I hope I pulled it off though! _

_Thank you so much for reading and for your wonderful support. It means the world to me. _

_Remember what I said about the roughly twenty chapters? Yup, I've decided to take that back and guess on around 25 chapters. Sometimes when I start writing these chapters, I really underestimate how much can happen in ONE chapter, so I need to split them up instead. I hope that works okay for everybody ;-) _

_**Disclaimer; **I don't own Twilight. _


	17. Chapter Seventeen

_**A/N – **I realised that I made a mistake regarding last chapter. I first wrote that Emmett and Rosalie went back to follow Victoria's trail, but then later they were at the school with Alice. Of course it was meant to be Kate and Jasper in the cafeteria, but I must have confused the two pairs in my hurry to get the chapter out. I'm sorry if that confused any of you, I just wanted to let you know that I went back and changed it, so it shouldn't confuse you when it's mentioned in this chapter. So now, without further ado then – enjoy!

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_

**Chapter Seventeen**

I must have dozed off on the drive from Forks High to the Cullen household, because I found myself being shaken awake sometimes later by Alice. Groggily, I wiped my eyes off, vaguely remembering that I wasn't supposed to do that, due to the insane amount of make-up, Rosalie had put on me earlier.

But I didn't really care. Especially not when a sharp pain shot through my face and I pressed my hands to my jaw. _Holy fucking shit, that hurt! _

Alice stared down at me from above, her black eyes filled with worry. She looked completely fine; she was wearing sweatpants and a comfortable t-shirt, and I forced my head to look around the room. I was perched on top of the couch in the Cullen living room, and behind Alice stood Carlisle, a concerned expression on his face as well. My eyes wandered to the big clock on the wall, and I realised that it was now four o'clock in the morning.

"Bella," Alice whispered, gently wiping a piece of my hair out of my eyes, "Carlisle and the others just returned, and he'd like to take a look at your jaw. It doesn't look too good, sweetie."

I merely nodded, afraid that talking would hurt like hell, too. Carlisle then placed a giant bag on the coffee table in front of him and opened it, revealing a huge selection of different instruments. I didn't know what half of them did, I just leaned slightly forward to let Carlisle's gentle hands seek my face out for broken bones. Hopefully it wouldn't be so bad, hopefully it was just the impact of the fall that still hurt a couple of hours later.

Alice stayed by the couch, right next to me, even if the smell of dried blood must have made her completely uncomfortable. I could hear the others moving around the house, and several showers were running. I was eager to find out what had happened after Alice and I left the scene, but also what had happened while I'd been stuck in the school's cafeteria. It would have to wait though, until I'd taken a shower too and gotten into something a little more comfortable.

"Well, it's not a fractured jaw." Carlisle mumbled, and I heard Alice heave a sigh of relief. I was pretty happy about that too, because I could not rock a bunch of elastics inside my mouth. "However, I do believe you would benefit with a trip to the dentist, it looks like you might've shattered a teeth or two. The taste of blood is from your teeth anyway, and the pain should be gone with a few painkillers and a hot shower. You're gonna carry a nasty bruise or two for awhile, though."

I smiled up at him, and happily took the glass of water and the painkillers that Esme handed me, as she entered the room. She had a concerned expression on her face, too, but she smiled warmly at me. "We'll tell you everything, once you've taken a shower, sweetheart. We're so happy you're okay."

I swallowed the pills and winced when another jab of pain shot through my face. I trusted that Carlisle knew what he was talking about, but it seriously fucking hurt like hell when I moved.

Alice grabbed my hand tightly and pulled me to my feet. "Let's get you into a shower. I'll grab some of Esme's clothes for you, and I'll make sure to make a sandwich for you as well. We'll talk afterwards, _I promise_." she held on to me as she pulled me with her up the stairs, but there was something so odd in her voice, something distant, something that wasn't Alice at all. And it worried me, because she'd been true to herself since I met her.

I stripped out of my clothes as Alice went down the hall to find some of Esme's that I could wear, and she only returned when I was in the steaming hot shower in her bathroom, letting the water cascade down my back and wash away the happenings of tonight. I lowered the nook on the shower head so low that it came out right above my shoulders, and let it massage the knots away. I'd been so tense, I believed I would be able to feel it for days. I was tired too, but the water woke me up somehow, even if hot water usually made me sleepy. But too much had happened for me to go back to sleep. I needed to know what went down tonight; I needed to know the _entire_ story.

I turned off the water and stuck my head outside, wanting to find a towel. I paused however, when I saw Alice slumped against the side of her bathtub, deep in thought. Reaching for the towel my girlfriend had laid out for me, I wrapped it around my body, before I crunched down next to her. With a gentle hand on her arm, I whispered, "Alice? Alice, what's the matter?"

She turned her head to let her eyes meet mine, and I could tell that something was bothering her. _A lot_. Which just made me even more worried, because nothing ever bothered Alice, not like this. She was this easy-going person who took everything lightly. But tonight had – apparently – really scared the shit out of her. I had no idea why, though.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, looking at me through hooded eyes, her usually so cheerful voice, completely disguised in something I wasn't familiar with, "Bella, I'm so, so sorry."

I blinked a few times, my hand still lingering on her bare arm. "What are you sorry for?" I questioned her.

Alice breathed out slowly. "It's my fucking fault! I shouldn't have left you with Edward to go fight with the others. I should have stayed with you!" she argued in a firm voice. "And I didn't even see that prick in my visions, I was too busy looking out for Victoria, as if the others _really_ needed me." she shook her head to herself and clasped onto my hand tightly. "You were nearly killed, Bella, and it's my fucking fault."

Chuckling to myself, I pulled her head to mine and pressed my lips lightly against hers. "Stop saying that, Alice." I whispered against her face, my breath tickling her skin. "No one could have prepared us for what was going to happen tonight, it just did. I don't blame you for anything. Besides... I'm fine now. If anything, that's down to you."

Alice didn't look convinced at all. "But if I hadn't left you, you wouldn't have needed saving. I would have been there to stop him before he even managed to lay a hand on you!"

"Alice," I firmly told her, shaking my head to her as a warning, "I don't want to hear you say that. What's done is done. Everything is good. Can we please just forget this? I wanna know everything, but if you're going to be this way, I'd rather hear it from someone else."

The tiny vampire reluctantly nodded her head. Getting up from her seat on the floor, she helped me up as well, and stepped downstairs to make me something to eat, while I got dressed in a pair of Esme's sweatpants and a simple black t-shirt. I sorted through Alice's countless of hair products on the shelf and found a big scrunchie in the mess somewhere, and smiled. My reflection in the mirror caught me momentarily off guard, because I was black and yellow on the entire right side of my face. I winced at the sight, and pulled my hair into a messy bun, even though I knew it'd be hell to try and untangle it later. Then I hurried downstairs, eager to hear about everything that had happened.

Everyone was already gathered together in the living room. Emmett and Rosalie were sitting close together in the big chair, and there was a spot between Alice and Edward for me on the big couch. A sandwich was placed on the table in front of me, and I tugged myself up against Alice and happily dug into it. Esme and Carlisle were right across from us, much like they'd been that Saturday night when I'd first encountered Victoria and James, and Jasper and Kate had pulled up two dining room chairs to join the family gathering. Alice placed a caring arm around me, and I could feel myself dosing off again, even though I was excited to learn more.

"Well, what happened then?" Emmett questioned, looking around the room, his eyes settling on Carlisle. "We're all dying to know. Did you burn him?"

Carlisle and Edward shared a look, before the good doctor decided to speak up, "We realised that if we didn't take desperate measures into use in this situation, we'd most likely never get rid of James completely."

Edward nodded in agreement. "So we burned him."

"Tore the prick into pieces and burned them all." Kate forcefully agreed.

I swallowed a bite of my cheese and tomato sandwich and poked Alice lightly in the side. "Burned him?"

Alice chuckled. "Oh yeah. If you want to really get rid of a vampire, the only way is to rip him into pieces and burn them all." she explained to me. "You see, the venom that we have in us, the venom that can change a human into a vampire, it can also be used to sort of 'glue'," she used air quotes as this point, "our limps back together."

I felt my eyes go wide and gaped at them all, "You mean...?"

Jasper pulled up his sleeves and held his arm out. "You can barely see the scars on my arms, I know that, but all these scars," he told me, in his thick Southern accent, "they're from where I've been bitten or torn apart by other vampires in battles. When I lost an arm or possibly just a finger or two... I'd lick the edges and hold the part to my body. That way, after awhile, of course, my body would be hole. It'd take some time before the limp was truly useful again though, but you get the picture."

I could barely make out the countless of scars on his arm, but I was truly enthralled with the idea that it was that easy to be healed. It seemed like the only true way to get rid of a vampire, really was to burn every piece. It was slightly scary, but of course that was why the vampires were so powerful.

"Anyway," Kate continued with a teasing glint in her eye, "we couldn't very well burn him inside the school, so we had to take him into the forest. That's why it took awhile."

I felt myself nod. "But what about the school, though? Some of the tables broke... some of the chairs."

Edward laughed. "Don't worry, it's all taken care of."

Esme smiled warmly at me, "Did you want another sandwich, Bella?" she lovingly questioned, but with my shake of the head, she turned to Rosalie and Emmett instead. "What happened with the two of you though?"

Rosalie shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing exciting at all-"

"Unfortunately!" Emmett felt the need to interrupt.

"-we just tried to moved around James to corner him. But then we caught the scent of Victoria and decided to follow her." the blonde paused and shrugged her shoulders. "You know the rest. It led us back here."

Jasper kicked back in his chair and placed a leg across the other. "What happened though? Victoria showed up."

Esme nodded, her auburn hair falling gently down her shoulders, and with a torn look in her eyes. "After Edward called, we went outside to see if we could catch her, prevent her from going inside..." she trailed off. "She's really fast, though. I had no chance against her."

Carlisle shook his head in agreement to his wife's statement. "I didn't either. I don't even think you could've caught her, Edward."

"So she got away?" Alice questioned then, tightening her hold on me, as she gazed from her parents, to Rosalie and Emmett in the chair, then, lastly, to Edward. "You left my defenceless girlfriend alone in the school cafeteria, and you didn't even catch her?"

There was nothing accusative in Alice's tone, just a light playfulness, so Edward just shrugged his shoulders and offered her a tiny smirk. "I thought we'd catch her. And I _thought_ you had the situation down at Forks High."

Alice scowled at him, but I rested my hand on her thigh and gently rubbed a circle with my finger, just to reassure her that everything was okay, and that she shouldn't worry. I knew she felt guilty about everything, that was why she'd acted so strange earlier. I was glad that I'd reassured her of everything upstairs though, because I didn't blame her for a single thing. To me, James was ruthless. And he would try to get what he wanted, no matter who he had to hurt in the process, no matter how many vampires he'd have to cross and trick. I was just thankful that none of us had gotten hurt.

Emmett shot a playful smile in Alice's direction, "How did you miss him, Alice? I mean. You were _right there._"

That was the most amazing thing for me to understand, too. I just didn't _get_ how it was possible for James to get past Alice. She'd been lurking around the parking lot the entire time that I had been inside, and James did only have the school's main entrance to enter through. He'd skipped right past her. And with her visions, it would have been even more difficult for him to pass by her – yet he still had.

Alice's eyes fell to the floor, and I rubbed the circle in quicker. "I – I don't know." she muttered, not looking up to meet our stares. "I was running around the parking lot, trying to stay focused on the gym, on the main entrance and on the forest. And suddenly my head just kept filling with visions of Victoria being back here, and what she planned to do, and I was torn, because – because I wanted to head back to prevent those things from happening, but I also didn't want to leave Bella alone. Especially when I had a vision of Edward leaving her."

I breathed in deeply. It must have been hard for Alice; torn between her long-time family and her girlfriend. I would have never been able to make a choice, either. I didn't blame her for her confusion.

"But then I saw Jazz and Kate having trouble." Alice said, and finally moved her eyes away from the floor, to let them rest on her siblings, one by one, "So I went to help them. Naturally." she tugged me closer to her and I breathed in the comforting scent of her hair. "Before I was even halfway there, I realised the mistake I'd made and turned back around. I saw a vision of James in the cafeteria with you, Bella, and that's when I called you. I wanted you to get out of there, go _somewhere_ else... somewhere that wasn't the cafeteria, which would mean that my vision wouldn't come true."

I felt the breath hitch in my throat, as Esme said, "What did you see, Alice?"

Alice looked at me briefly with serious eyes, before turning to Esme. "I saw him biting her wrist and- it was _horrible_."

Another batch of air got caught in my throat, and I wrapped my arms tightly around Alice and buried my head in the crook of her neck. I couldn't imagine what that vision might've have made her feel, but I understood that it was serious. If things had gone a little differently, James would have killed me in that cafeteria. It had definitely been his intention. And I was just so thankful that I was in this room right now, with all of these people.

Rosalie spoke up then. "But you got there in time, Alice."

Shaking her head to herself, Alice was adamant about taking the blame for this. "When I called you, Bella... was he there? Was I the reason he heard you?"

I pulled myself away from her embrace and looked her deeply in the eyes. I desperately wanted to tell her 'no', but I knew that she'd be able to see that I was lying. She knew me so well, and on top of that, I was a horrible liar. So I felt myself nod, but quickly continued with an explanation. "He would have found me thirty seconds after anyway. He was across the room. The only reason he'd gone there first was because my heels were lying against the wall. I was beneath the counter."

Everybody shared a deep look, and I had a feeling that I'd gotten incredibly lucky tonight. I'd been faced with James twice now, and both times I'd gotten out, mostly unharmed. And now James was really gone; his ashes laid somewhere in the mist of the forest, and only Victoria remained to threaten our future together. I knew what had to be done though. I hated the fact that they always had to come to my rescue, to save me from the villain vampires. If I was a vampire myself, they wouldn't have to do that, I would be able to fend for myself, to use my own supernatural powers to kick some vampire butt. It was the ideal situation, and it was what I wanted in the long run anyway. I just – I just hadn't counted on it happening _so soon_. But everything told me that it was better if it did. I'd have to talk to Alice about it though, about me changing to become one of them.

"So anyway!" Rosalie suddenly chipped, and just like that, the entire mood in the room changed, and we were done with our previous conversation. "Now onto happier things... Emmett and I have decided to renew our wedding vows this year."

A groan was heard from everyone in the room, and Edward slumped back in his chair, completely dejected.

Rosalie didn't seem too phased by it though, she simply kept smiling and talking, "We will be hosting a small gathering to witness the event, you're all invited, of course, and it shall be done three weeks from today. Just so you know to mark the date off."

The last part was mostly said to warn me and Kate to be here, since the rest of the family was always hanging around, since they didn't really have any social relations outside of themselves as a unit. I would be happy to mark the date though. I had no idea why everyone seemed so bothered by the idea of Emmett and Rosalie renewing their vows, but I couldn't wait to see the event. It must have been a very long time since they got married, and I thought it was kind of nice to just remind themselves of why it was they fell for each other in the first place. I could imagine that their vows would be beautiful. After all, they were completely devoted to each other; Rosalie had carried a wounded Emmett for miles with a raging thirst, just to have Carlisle change him for her.

That was the most romantic thing _ever_.

"I'll be there." I quickly told Rosalie, and the blonde beamed at me in response.

"Anyway," Alice said then, poking me lightly in the side, "you should probably get some rest, Bella, and I really need to go hunt. I think most of us do."

I gazed quickly around the room, and was met with eight pair of pitch black eyes. Of course they'd need to feed themselves. It had been an eventful night, and they probably needed something to ease that itch they all had in their throats. I nodded to my girlfriend and kissed her cheek lightly. "I'll just go crash on your bed." I whispered, before I pulled myself out of the couch and made my beeline for the stairs.

**x**

I awoke several hours later to find Alice on the bed right next to me, hands beneath her head, staring at the ceiling. Her eyes were closed, and she was humming lightly. I tried to take deep breaths, as if to not alert her that I was awake, but it was probably useless. She'd be able to tell. But I just wanted to watch her, though. She was so beautiful as she laid there; her short hair pointed in all directions in its usual playfulness, and she'd changed from her sweatpants into something a little more formal – just like the Alice I knew and loved.

I couldn't help but let my eyes wander down the curve of her body, and was painfully reminded of the realisation I'd come to last night, before everything went wrong. I'd told myself that I was ready to take things to the next level with Alice, that I was ready to sleep with her and go _there_. And I was more than sure that Alice was ready to go there, too. She was so much more in control when we were kissing now, and she'd been able to hang around me, even when I was bleeding. I could see it made her feel a bit uncomfortable, but not enough to flee the scene.

"Did you sleep well?"

Her light question pulled me out of my thoughts, and I let my eyes move upwards again, only to find her golden orbs looking at me adoringly. I smiled warmly at her, and gathered the strength to lean forward and place a kiss to her lips. "Yes. I really needed that."

Alice just watched me as I fell down to the mattress again and tugged her pillow beneath my chin as I got more comfortable. I could feel her eyes on me, but I didn't look at her; I was too consumed in thoughts about her and I, and what I wanted to happen soon between us. But mostly – I was also consumed in thoughts about the subject that I'd been avoiding with her for a long time. I even talked to Carlisle about it, but for some reason, talking with Alice about it – it made it more final. And though I was certain that it was what I wanted, something scared me about it, too. And I just didn't want to hurt her.

"Bella," she whispered, placing a cold hand on the side of my bruised jaw. "I can see that you want to talk to me – please just say what you need to say. I won't be mad, I promise."

I swallowed loudly and knew that she was right. She'd probably seen our entire conversation, and I just needed to get over myself and actually have it with her. "I really wanna become one of you." I whispered to her, "And soon, Alice. If I'm one of you, things will be easier."

Alice lightly brushed her fingers across my face and down my neck, as her eyes trailed my features, and I felt like I was being x-rayed by her looks. "I would want you to become one of us." she told me, and I could tell that she meant it, _very much_, "However... I'm just not sure that right now is the right time."

"I'm not going to regret it." I instantly defended myself.

She chuckled warmly. "I know you're not. I see that you'll be very happy with us."

A blush rose up my cheeks and I felt myself getting hotter. Of course I shouldn't have presumed she was going to talk me out of it; Alice would never do that. But it was a natural reaction to have, wasn't it? After all, having them turn me into a vampire, it was a decision I couldn't just take back. It was pretty much permanent.

"Just-" Alice cut herself off briefly, as she locked our eyes together in a firm hold, keeping me there until I simply couldn't help but blink. "-just know that there's so many things you need to consider, Bella. There's your father, your mother, your friends... You aren't even done with school yet. And it will at least be ten years – if not more – before you can handle going near humans. You'll have to think of an excuse as to where you are, why you don't call, why you don't visit. Perhaps..." she trailed off, her hand moving from the side of my face, to clasp tightly with mine, "...perhaps you should wait until after you graduate."

I felt my eyes go wide at the thought. I had to admit – it was a really good idea, and it made perfectly sense. It was just _so far_ into the future. And at this point, I just really wanted to be able to start my life with the Cullens. I'd chosen the life I wanted, so now I wanted to start living it. Even if it meant saying goodbye to Charlie, Renée and my friends... I just really couldn't wait to get started. Plus, another year gave Victoria plenty of opportunities to come back and find me. If she even wanted to... I wasn't sure about that.

Alice's tiny smile faltered as she scooted closer to me, snuggling her face into my chest and breathing in heavily. "You seem mad."

I said, "I'm not mad, I'm just... you're right. That doesn't mean I don't want it to happen right now, though."

I could feel her smile against me, and I wrapped an arm tightly around her as she spoke. "I want you to be with me too, Bella. But you're still with me, even if you're not a vampire yet. I can see that you're worried you'll grow much older than me, but I promise you that we'll change you before that happens. I _promise_ you."

That gave me a slight feeling of reassurance. I really didn't want to be more than twenty when I was changed. It'd make me a lot older than Alice and my supposed siblings. But it seemed like Alice didn't want that either, so that was perfect. At least we were on the same page about that.

"And Bella," Alice continued to murmur into my chest, her lips brushing against my collarbone as she spoke. "you should know that I might possibly not be able to change you. If I don't feel certain that I'm strong enough, I'll have Carlisle do it. I don't want you to be put at risk."

I nodded absent-mindedly and tugged her a bit closer. I would love it if she was able to change me, but I also knew that it wasn't a matter that should be discussed or objected to. If she felt ready, I'd want her to do it, but if not... then Carlisle would have to. I wanted to become a vampire, not die while trying. And as much as I loved Alice, I knew she had the natural instincts that any vampire did, so it'd be hard for her.

Alice sighed in contentment, before she spoke up again, her voice barely above a whisper. "Oh and babe? I'm going into town later with Edward... we need to check the scene out, get the newspapers, see if anyone noticed anything last night."

Pressing a kiss to Alice's hair, I couldn't be more pleased with that. Because there was something I wanted to do – something I needed to talk to Esme about, and hopefully – _hopefully_ – it'd manage to stay under Alice's radar for just a little while longer.

**x**

"Esme?"

I padded on my bare feet into the barely used steel kitchen, where Esme was sitting, tucked against the counter, with her miniature laptop opened in front of her. She looked up when she saw me stop on the other side of the counter, hesitantly, as I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear.

I was kind of nervous about this.

Esme smiled warmly at me, as she closed her laptop and sat up straighter. "Bella! Did you have a good nap? Are you hungry again?"

I quickly shook my head. No, I wasn't hungry again, I'd been doing nothing all day, which gave me no reason to feel hunger at all. "I was just wondering if I could talk to you about something."

"Sure." Esme said, and motioned for the barstool right in front of her. "Take a seat. Is it important?"

I rested my elbows and the counter and looked at her, as I sat there. "It's important. It's nothing bad, I suppose. It's just important."

A tiny smile of relief edged across Esme's features. "Oh. Well that's good, I guess."

I nodded, and absent-mindedly wrapped a runaway hair around my finger, as I thought about how to go about this. The easiest thing would probably be to just jump into it and tell her, but it was still easier said than done. "I was wondering if you'd like to go with me to the mall in Port Angeles sometime this week."

A look of total surprise came across Esme's face then, and I realised that my proposition must have sounded very weird in her ears, since she didn't know the story behind it.

"I would've asked Rosalie to go," I quickly explained, dropping my hands into my lap, "but I guess I just thought that you'd be the better choice for... uhm, for what I have in mind."

Esme cocked an eyebrow with an amused look across her face. "And what is it that you have in mind, sweetie?"

I locked my eyes onto hers and knew that she'd absolutely love the idea I had. Nothing told me, she wouldn't. "I wanted to find something for Alice... Actually, I wanted to get her a ring, but-" I cut myself off, and stared at the other woman, who suddenly had a giant smile across her face. "-I don't really know much about jewellery."

She reached a hand across the counter and gently touched my arm. "Are you serious?"

"I have some money saved up." I blurted out, my heart beating wildly in my chest. If it was because of anticipation or nerves, I had no idea... It just – it just did. "I want to spend them on Alice. I want to give her something special. Something to show her how much I care."

The smile on Esme's face could not have been bigger at this point. "I doubt that Alice doesn't know you care for her..." she trailed off, "I think it's a wonderful idea, though."

I swallowed a huge lump in my throat, a feeling of relief soaring through me. "So you'll come?"

"I'd be happy to." Esme agreed with a small nod. "So when do you wanna go there?"

Screwing my face up, I tried to decide which day in the following week it'd be best possible. I really wanted to give Alice the ring next weekend and prepare something special for us. If it went well, there was a huge possibility that the night might end up with us... consummating our romantic relationship. Which was something I was looking forward to with much anticipation right now. "How about Wednesday after school?"

Esme nodded her head and tugged a piece of her hair behind her ear. "I'll make sure to pick you up as soon as the kids leave school grounds. You did want to_ try_ to keep it from Alice, yeah?"

I felt myself nod my head. "I know there's a huge chance she'll see everything. I just want to pretend that she hasn't and go about this the normal way."

"Understandable." Esme chuckled, and I laughed right along with her. Nothing about Alice and I was normal, but for this one time, I really wanted to pretend that it was, and that I had to woo her. I would give her the ring and kindly ask her if she wanted to spend forever with me. I already knew the answer, but -

It would be nice to _do _it.

* * *

_This chapter was probably nothing compared to the last two, but I needed it to settle a few things; like what happened with the others and Bella's idea. I'll try to update as soon as possible, but I did start another story, so that one will be needing updates, too. _

_I can't thank you enough for all the wonderful support you've been giving me. You guys are seriously the most amazing readers. _

_Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates that – I have to cook for the family tomorrow, so I'll be pretty busy. I can't wait though, the holidays are special to me! _

_**Disclaimer; **I don't own Twilight. _


	18. Chapter Eighteen

_**Warning: **This chapter most definitely deserves an **M**-rating. You can probably guess why ;-) If you want to skip the more risqué part though, you can just stop reading after Alice receives the ring and start reading again after the break in the chapter. It's not that bad though, because there is no way that I could even begin to imagine how the act would go down with Alice fighting herself all the way through. So I cut it off before that happened, though I have given you a little taste of something :) _

**Chapter Eighteen **

"We won't be back until Sunday evening girls, so you two have fun!" Esme murmured, as she pressed a tender kiss to my forehead. "You did make sure it was okay with your father that you spend the weekend here, right?"

I smiled sheepishly up at the older woman. "Sure, he loves Alice. He loves that I spend time with her."

Esme swiped a piece of her auburn hair away from her face and threw a glance towards her daughter, who was hugging her brother goodbye. "Sure he does. But that doesn't mean he doesn't want to spend some time with you himself, Bella. You're always out here."

I chuckled at that. She was right, though.

"Alright," Carlisle said and pulled his and Esme's overnight bag onto his shoulder, "make sure to call us if you need anything. Victoria is still lurking around somewhere, but I'm certain the Quileutes are being careful."

Alice held up her cell phone to assure him that it'd be right there next to her the entire weekend, and Esme gave her cheek another kiss, before they left the house, Edward following right behind, as he threw a supportive smile in my direction. I tried to smile confidently back to him, but I was feeling more nervous now that I knew we were alone.

Jasper had taken a few days off of school to go with Kate back to Denali, and Rosalie and Emmett had already left for their romantic get-away as soon as school let out. Esme, Carlisle and Edward had stayed behind until Alice and I returned to the house after picking up my things and stopping by the police station to say hello to my father. Under normal circumstances, he would not have been cool with me spending yet another weekend with Alice at her house, but he simply adored Alice to the extreme, where I sometimes feared he might even like her more than he liked me.

Oh well.. of course he didn't. Be he definitely approved of her, that was for sure. Whenever we had dinner, which was a time where Alice was never present, due to the lack of valuable excuses she could feed my father with, he'd always comment on what a great influence she was on me, and how absolutely adorable she was. He loved her, he really did. Sometimes, when she called the house phone to say hi – literally to _just_ say 'hi' – he'd go into another speech about how charming and fantastic she truly was.

Alice wrapped her tiny arms around my waist and rested her head on my back. "Alone at last!" she dramatically sighed, and I couldn't help but chuckle, as she pulled me with her into the living room.

The last week had been rather eventful, to be honest. I'd had to explain my bruised and battered jaw to Charlie, claiming that I had a gigantic accident in my stilettos, which caused him to forbid me to ever wear them again. Not that I could, because I had no idea where they were, since I left them in the cafeteria. I'd also had to take a trip to the dentist on Monday after school, which proved Carlisle's suspicions, and I now had three teeth less than I really should. Thankfully it wasn't my front teeth, so it wasn't obvious.

Kate and Jasper had managed to clean up the cafeteria nicely after our fight, so no one battered an eyelash on Monday when they entered it during lunch period. I was certain that some tables and chairs had been broken, but the Cullens had managed to replace everything, and no one knew. Everybody had just been gushing about the dance, and I was happy to realise that not one student had an inkling about what had happened right beneath their noses.

Esme had also stayed true to her word (not that I'd thought she wouldn't), and had picked me up after school on Wednesday. We'd gone to the mall together and I'd chosen a beautiful ring, quite happy with my decision, and quite happy with the helpful hand that Esme had lent me. I hadn't had nowhere near enough saved up, but she assured me that she and Carlisle wanted to help me out, because they wanted to see Alice happy and I was _it_. So we'd picked out the most perfect little thing for the girl of my dreams; it was a white gold band, but it wasn't shaped like a regular ring, it was bowed slightly out of form to fit the diamond which was heart shaped and had a dark red colour just like Alice loves. There was a smaller heart beneath that one, a white tourmaline gem. It was absolutely perfect. Oh, and it was engraved, too.

_i carry you in my heart. AC & BS. _

It had been Esme's idea, and I was quite displeased with myself that I wasn't the one to come up with it. But it was perfect nonetheless, and I was sure Alice would love it regardless of who came up with it. I was quite certain she knew exactly what I was planning, but she was pretending as if she didn't know, so I was pretending she didn't either. It worked out well for both of us that way. And I hadn't planned exactly when to give it to her; it was just sitting there in the pocket of my jeans, and I was going to pull it out when she least expected it – and when _I _least expected it. If I didn't know when I'd do it, there was no why in hell she'd know either.

We fell onto the comfortable couch in the living room, Alice's arms wrapped tightly around me once more. She'd been very affectionate all day, and I just loved holding her so close to me. She huffed out a sigh of contend, and I buried my nose in the crook of her neck. An entire weekend... just the two of us. I couldn't have asked for something better.

"I love your hair so much." Alice breathed into my ear, her tiny hands combing through my long, wavy hair. She always loved to do that, touch my hair whenever it was possible. If my hair was in a ponytail, she'd play with the tiny strands at the base of my neck, and if my hair was down, like today, she'd comb her fingers through it again and again.

I looked up at her from my place against her side, and offered her a small smile. I know that hair was a bit of a sore subject to her; I remember Rosalie telling me so when she was doing mine last Friday. When Alice was human, she'd gotten her hair cut off, and after she was changed, it couldn't grow anymore. And Rosalie told me that sometimes my girlfriend would grow insecure about it, feeling less feminine than other girls, who were able to pull it into stylish hairdos. But I didn't think it was true at all; Alice was one of the most feminine girls I knew. Plus – I just couldn't see her with long hair. The short, cut-off ends were a part of her. And she wore them _so_ well.

I pushed my hand through hers, "And I love your hair so much." I whispered right back to her, before burying my head in her neck again. She was perfect. Everything about her was so goddamn perfect.

"I have to tell you something important." Alice told me then, and I pulled back once more, sensing the seriousness in her tone. She could probably feel my questioning eyes, because she continued, "I know it's supposed to be just the two of us, no serious business, but I have to tell you this..."

And now I really sensed that it was very serious, so I pulled completely away from her and leaned back against the armrest of the couch, crossing my legs Indian style. I didn't really want to talk about anything that didn't concern us or our love for each other (sappy, I know), and I knew Alice didn't either, so this had to be important if she was willing to risk our romantic weekend. "What is it?" I breathed, my heart thudding loudly in my chest as I grew worried.

Alice locked her golden eyes to mine and said, "I had a vision of Victoria today. I've been watching her, you know... Trying to figure out if she was gonna come back, what her next move might be..." she trailed off, shaking her head slightly. "But I didn't catch anything. Not until today."

I swallowed loudly. If this was about Victoria, it really was serious. That vampire hadn't given up, I knew it – she was going to come back and haunt my ass until the day I was changed. Which might very well be an entire year more. I couldn't stand it if I was putting the Cullens and the tribe at risk for that much longer! Someone was going to end up getting hurt, I just knew it. "What did you see?"

Alice bit her lip, "She's pissed. She's been at the Canadian border since the wolves chased her there. But she's seriously angry, Bella, she wants blood. She wants your blood."

I nodded. I had no frigging idea what to say to that, so I just nodded.

The petite vampire moved forward slightly, pressing me against the arm of the couch affectively. "I'm not gonna let her hurt you, Bella." she promised me with seriousness (not that she needed to; I already knew this), "We're gonna make sure that you're safe. I'll watch her decisions day and night, and when she comes here, we'll destroy her like we destroyed James."

Even saying things like this, she just managed to sound so incredibly sweet and romantic. So I leaned forward and pressed my lips tightly against hers. I felt her sharp intake of breath more than I heard it, and soon her tiny fingers were clutching my shoulders, holding me tighter. My own hands were pulling her head closer to mine, as I sucked her in; everything about her, her scent, her taste, her touch. I just needed her closer still, no matter how close I pulled her, it could never be close enough. She's the best thing that ever happened to me, and I needed her closer than humanly possible.

"I love you so much." I whispered, trailing my kisses from her lips to her cheeks and chin, peppering her with chaste pecks as I pulled her in.

Her grip on my shoulders were growing harder, but still, it didn't feel like she was holding me tightly enough. I felt her lips on my neck. "I love you too, you have no idea how much, Bella. You're the most important thing to me."

I pulled away from her then, swallowing the huge lump in my throat, before I wrapped my arms around her and squeezed her as tightly as I could. I felt like crying; my feelings were overwhelming to me, and it sounded completely ridiculous, but she was the most important thing to me as well. How long had I known her? How long had I been with her? Not nearly long enough to make such a life-altering decision, not long enough to love her as deeply as I did. Some people would say that I was young and foolish and just completely overwhelmed, but I wasn't. She was _it_. I knew this, and it was never going to change.

Her cold breath met my heated skin as she spoke, "Do you wanna go upstairs and watch a movie in my bedroom, Bella?"

I nodded against her body, not ready to let go of her, to ever loosen my grip, and Alice seemed to get the gist of my actions, of my feelings, because she simply manoeuvred herself off of the couch, and with my arms still tightly around her neck, she scooped her right arm beneath my legs, and her left around my back, before carrying me upstairs in true bridal fashion.

Fuck it.

I really loved this woman, there was no denying it (not that I would).

**x**

We'd been watching movies for a while now (and making out), but I wasn't really paying much attention to it. Firstly, it was seriously difficult to pay attention to anything but Alice when her lips were on me; and secondly, when they weren't, I just kept thinking about that ring that was sitting in my pocket, which I'm sure Alice must've felt plenty of times by now.

And my stomach was growling, but I was far too comfortable to even think about moving myself. Maybe I could... no, no that wasn't possible... but still. It would _only –_ nah, that really wasn't nice of me. Yet... it did seem like a fantastic idea to me _and_ to my stomach. Would she go for it?

There was no better way to know than to ask her.

So that was what I opened my mouth to do, making sure that I had my best puppy dog eyes on just to add to the cute-factor. "Aaaaaaliceee..." I pouted, dragging her name out in a sing-song voice.

"No Bella," she said, flipping the TV on mute, before she turned her eyes to meet mine, "I will not go downstairs to make a sandwich for you."

I groaned. "But it's so much quicker when you do it!" I whined and trailed my hand lightly across her stomach, "It's gonna take me _at least_ five minutes, and you'll be done in, like, a second!"

Alice sighed heavily and stared at me. I stuck my lower lip out even further and batted my eyelashes. I was never one to act like this, and I'm pretty sure that's why it worked so damn well this second, because Alice placed a quick peck on my forehead, before she scrambled out of bed and was out of the door with a flash.

I fell into the soft mattress with a contend sigh. I'd _so_ pulled that one off! She was downstairs, right now, making me a lovely sandwich, and my lazy ass didn't even have to move. I shifted slightly, to tuck my head upon a pillow, when the square velvet box dug into my hipbone once more. Frowning slightly, I reached into my pocket to readjust it, but when my fingers closed around it, an idea hit me with full force.

It was now or never.

I quickly stumbled off the bed and in my haste almost managed to wrap myself even further into the sheets. Less than gracefully, I landed on the floor, and quickly turned to make the bed nice, attempting to be as quiet as possible, because Alice would be listening intensely, and she'd be back in approximately ten seconds. I glanced at the bed and decided that it was the best I could do in my hurry, and then I placed the box, open, on the foot of the bed, and it'd be the first thing she'd see when she stepped inside. After that, I contemplated where it'd be best to put myself, and not really knowing what would be most beneficial, I plopped myself against the headboard and lazily crossed my legs.

I could pull this off, I _could_.

About two seconds after I'd caught my breath, Alice practically floated through the door, carrying a plate in one hand, and a bottle of water in the other. She paused though, when her eyes landed on the open box on her bed, and one second later, her eyes locked to mine.

Then she dropped the plate and the bottle to the ground and dove forward to grab the box, kneeling by the foot of the bed. "Oh Bella!" she breathed, her eyes moving to me again, as her fingers tore the ring out of the white box, "This is even prettier than it was in my visions! It's so beautiful!"

I chuckled lowly and moved forward, worming my way towards her on my stomach, until I was lying where the box had just been, my face on level with hers as she kneeled on the floor. "Did you see it a lot?"

Her eyes had such a twinkle when she looked down at the ring, examining it between her fingers. She didn't look up when she answered me, "The visions kept changing because you couldn't decide when to give it to me. I knew that it was a possibility that I had to wait _a long time_-" I chuckled here, because it was obvious how much the idea of waiting displeased her, "-but I knew what the ring looked like. You caught me completely off-guard by doing it now!"

My eyes were on the ring as well, as she held it between her thumb and pointer-finger. The diamond sparkled in the dim light from the television, and I had to admit that Esme and I had good taste in jewellery. Well, Esme had good taste in jewellery, I just knew what fitted Alice. "So you really like it?"

Her eyes finally met mine, and I could tell that she was being honest. "It's perfect. Thank you." she whispered and pressed her lips to mine in a brief kiss.

"Look inside. I got it engraved for you." I told her, not once regretting spending that amount on money on something like this. I could never regret that, not when she was being this cute about it, not when it made her this happy. I'd do anything to see that look in her eyes on a daily basis.

Alice's golden eyes widened, and she turned the ring over, squinted her head slightly to the side, as her vampire eyes read the tiny letters inside the band. A huff of air left her lips, before she turned to me again. "I carry you in my heart, too." she whispered huskily.

My heart fluttered crazily, and I determinedly pulled the ring from her fingers, before taking her hand. She seemed to get the idea immediately, for she held it out for me, and without a second of hesitation, I slipped it onto her finger; the ring finger on her left hand, effectively claiming her as mine; forever and always.

Our eyes met again when our fingers intertwined and Alice smiled at me, while I ran my finger over the symbol of our love, which was now a permanent feature on Alice's appearance. I could feel love and happiness radiating off of me, and I'm pretty sure my look matched Alice's completely sappy one, too. I just didn't care what we looked like, I was too happy to care what anyone might think of us. Plus, it's not like there was anyone here, anyway.

I tugged on Alice's hand slightly and we moved onto the bed, settled in closely, her tiny body hovering over mine, as we held our gaze. Our noses were touching, and I could just feel that this was an important moment; there was no going back, and I knew what I wanted, badly, but that didn't mean I wasn't very nervous to be getting it. I breathed out deeply, before pressing my lips to Alice's repeatedly in a desperate need to have her as close to me as humanly possible.

"We don't – have – to – do this!" Alice managed to get out between kisses, and I claimed her lips over and over.

I shook my head to hers, my hand holding on tightly to her waist where it was settled, warm and tender on her cold body. "I want this." I whispered, my breath bouncing across her skin.

Alice brushed a piece of my hair away from my face and studied me closely for a few seconds; I could see that she was contemplating this, that she wasn't quite sue if we were both ready for it. But the determination that I was trying to put across must have pulled through, because she gave a short nod, before reconnecting our lips again, and prying mine open with her tongue.

We duelled like that for a little while, and I could feel chills settling in all over my body in anticipation of what was to come. I knew it'd be less than satisfying, probably sloppy and quick, but I also knew that it'd be perfect, because Alice would be the one to do it, and no one else were ever going to touch me this way, _ever_. It was a scary thought, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

My girlfriend purred slightly into my mouth, before she trailed her kisses lower, hovering just above my cleavage. Her tiny body was heavy on top of mine, but it was a nice feeling; and I shivered more violently when she pushed my shirt up and therefore exposing a good amount of my stomach. She pressed kisses all over it, let her tongue swirl out and play with my navel. I felt the unfamiliar feeling of heat pooling in my underwear when she trailed her kisses lower and lower still, reaching her fingers out to unbutton my jeans. Lifting my hips off the mattress, she pulled my jeans off and discarded them to the floor. She kissed me through my boy's underwear and I moaned out loud, completely taken by surprise.

A giggle erupted from the back of Alice's throat, and she kissed her way up again, eventually tugging at my shirt to lift it above my head, too. When it joined my jeans on the floor, our lips met in another heated kiss, and I could feel the need inside of me burn so deeply that I feared I was going to burst if I didn't have her soon, if she didn't somehow get closer to me. Her eyes were dark when they met mine, and I knew it would be a struggle for her when we grew closer, and I would probably wake up tomorrow with plenty of bruises from the experience, but it would be worth it, I just knew it.

"You're overdressed." I informed her then, pressing my hand to the side of her face, and I pushed her over with effort, tugging at every piece of her clothing; her vest, her dress, her panty hose, even the black bra she wore underneath it all; I bravely reached a hand behind her back and flipped it open, before trailing the straps down her arms. I'd fondled her breasts a couple of times through her clothes, but when they were actually in front of me, perfect and perky, I stopped to admire them lovingly, before locking my eyes with Alice's, asking for permission. Her hot gaze told me to go right ahead, so I lowered my lips to the dusky nipple of her right breast and hesitantly pulled it into my mouth. Alice's reaction was instantaneous; a riveting moan echoed off the walls in her bedroom and her back arched upwards, off of the bed. I couldn't help but smile to myself, and immediately lifted my hand to give the other breast some attention as well.

Alice almost choked when she spoke to me, "That feels so good, Bella."

I didn't look up at her, but trailed my hand from her breast, slowly, tantalizingly, down her quivering stomach and towards my desired destination. I stopped briefly, right before my fingers were to sneak into her black thong, and pulled my mouth from her breast with a tiny 'pop'. Our eyes locked again, and hers were a mix of lust, love, longing and the look of hunger I'd become so familiar with. But it wasn't nearly as strong as I'd feared it might become, and I had no worries with continuing what we had started.

I stretched upward and pulled her in for another kiss, just as my fingers reached the stirring bundle of nerves. Alice gasped into my mouth and I stilled my movements. Pulling my head back, I looked at her with questioning eyes, "Are you ready for all of this?" I breathed.

Alice nodded her head timidly, and placed her hands more firmly on my back, her tiny fingers lingering just above the clasp of my bra. "I am ready, Bella, let's do it." she whispered.

Pulling her head to mine once more, her fingers unclasped my bra, just as I tryingly flickered mine through her damp folds.

**x**

I had to admit that I was pretty damn sore when I woke up the next morning. That couldn't change the fact though, that everything I felt inside of me was pure bliss. Last night had been everything I'd ever dreamed it to be since I learned of the concept of sex in Health Class in school. Alice had been my first, and it had been a battle for her, I knew, though I had hardly registered anything last night, because the feeling she'd put in my entire body had pushed every other thought out of my mind.

Her tiny fingers were drawing lazy circles on my stomach and I turned my head to look at her; she was lying right there, on top of her sheets, fully clothed in tiny shorts and a tank top. She looked beautiful; her face was scrubbed free of any make up, and I could see that she had been out hunting while I was asleep, because her eyes were back to that golden colour I adored so much. I just stared at her, completely mesmerized, hoping that last night had been as perfect to her as it had been to me.

"I'm really sorry, Bella," she whispered, her fingers trailing higher up my body, drawing another circle around my naked breast, which was chilled and sensitive, due to the cold room temperature. "I tried not to hurt you."

I offered her a tiny smile. "You didn't hurt me, Alice. It was perfect."

Her eyes scanned over my body for a long while, before they met mine again, "You have bruises everywhere, Darling, I did hurt you."

Moving myself over, I pressed my body to hers and ignored the sting of pain that shot through my back. "That may be, but it was worth it. It was perfect to me, Alice. Was it perfect to you?"

She didn't meet my eyes, and for a second I feared I might have done everything completely wrong, but when she finally looked at me, my insecurities were pushed aside, because she looked truly happy, "How can you even ask that? It was perfect Bella, absolutely perfect, you took me _there_, don't worry about it."

I felt a tiny blush rise to my cheeks, but pressed a kiss to her nose nonetheless, before I snuggled into her side instead. "Good." I heard myself whisper, "Because if there's an entire year until you can change me, you bet your ass we'll be doing this again."

Alice chuckled lowly, but I could hear the hesitation in her voice when she spoke, "I really don't wanna hurt you, Bella..." she trailed off, her fingers once more tangled in my hair; the place they loved so much.

"The pain I can live with," I firmly told her, knowing it was the truth. It would be hell to walk today, but by tomorrow, the bruises would have already faded, and I'd be fine to go to school normally on Monday. She had nothing to worry about in that aspect, but if I didn't get some of her loving... that was an entirely different matter. "but I don't think I can live without the feelings you gave me last night."

Alice laughed again, and this time there was no hesitation in her voice at all. "Are you sure about that?"

I chuckled too, "Most definitely."

The tiny vampire pressed a kiss to my temple, before pulling away from me. With the pouty look I shot her, offended that she'd leave me in bed by myself, she gave me a pointed look and pulled the covers over my naked body. I was pretty cold, so that did feel nice. "I have something for you." she told me, before turning to pull a white envelope out of her bedside table.

I tugged the covers more firmly around me and sat up to receive the gift, pretty damn confused as to what she'd gotten me.

"I saw that you were going to give me a ring," Alice explained when I looked at her with questionable eyes, "and I wanted to give you something, too, so I ordered these online last Monday."

Nodding, I tugged a finger beneath the sealed envelope and pulled it open. There was two thick pieces of paper inside and I pulled them out quickly, now even more curious to figure out what she was up to. My heart practically stopped beating when I saw the airline logo on top of the both of them. She got me... airline tickets? I raised my face to meet her eyes, before reading over them further. "Huh?"

She bit her lip and pulled them from my grip, "They're to Florida, to visit your mum." she explained to me, and the second the words left her lips, my heart started beating even faster as the realisation hit me. "It's for next weekend. I wanna go with you. I wanna meet her."

And just like that, Alice had managed to make my day even better. She knew how much I missed my mother; the person I used to tell everything to. And she _knew_ that I didn't want to tell my mother about us over the phone, that I wanted to do it in person. I hadn't seen her for so long, and now I would be able to spend an entire weekend with her, and have her meet Alice. It was fucking perfect!

"Do you like it?" she curiously whispered, an eyebrow cocked to match her question.

I felt myself nod hastily, before I threw myself forward and pressed my lips to hers again. She. Was. Fucking. Perfect.

* * *

_So I hope you can all live with the **M**-rating I had set for a part of this chapter. It wasn't really that bad, I think, and I hope you agree with me. I'm sorry if I offended anyone. _

_I hope you liked this chapter! It was mostly fluff, because I wanted to have a bit of that after everything that's been happening in the past chapters. And the next chapter will deal with their visit to Florida, which should be fun as well! If any of you have any specific ideas as to what's going to happen there, please feel free to leave them for me, because I actually have nothing planned, except Bella telling her mother about her and Alice ;-) _

_Please leave me your thoughts on this chapter – your reviews mean the world to me, they really do. Oh, and I wish you all a happy New Year! And be safe! ;b _

_**Disclaimer; **I don't own Twilight or e.e. cumming's 'i carry you in my heart'. _


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**Chapter Nineteen**

"She seems to like you a lot." I told Alice, as we dumped our bags in the guest room at my mom's house.

Alice fell onto one of the two twin beds in the room with a happy sigh. "I would hope so. It is your mother after all, I want to make a good impression."

I raised an eyebrow as I took a seat on the other bed. "Well, impress away, because I'm pretty sure she likes you more than she likes me already."

Alice turned over on her side and gave me a funny look. "Don't say that, Bella." she lightly whispered, "She just doesn't understand you, because you're both so different. You're like Charlie, she doesn't get that. But she loves you so much."

I couldn't help the smile that came on my face that; Alice was so right. She had no idea how right she was – except maybe she did have a slight idea. She'd hit the nail right on the head after all, which was something she did a lot. It really was true; my mother had never understood me much. She was loud and cheerful and energetic, everything that I was not. I was much more like Charlie; calm and collected. Thoughtful. Alice was going to fit right in with her.

I still found it hard to believe that we were actually in Jacksonville, Florida right now. I hadn't thought I'd see my mother until I at least graduated high school. Plane tickets weren't cheap, yet here I was, visiting my mum because my darling girlfriend made it all possible. She seriously was the best; she'd flown us out here first class, making sure we arrived after it turned dark, just so she wouldn't have to deal with making it from the airport to the car without exposing her skin to the sun. I still wasn't sure how she'd swing staying inside the entire weekend, but she'd already informed my mother, during the car ride from the airport, that she'd most likely stay inside a lot. She claimed that her skin was so white, she'd be sunburned within minutes if she ventured out.

Mum bought it, I think, which was always something. And now she was just making us an evening snack downstairs since Alice and I hadn't eaten anything for awhile. I'm sure Alice would come up with a wonderful excuse for not eating, too. I was hungry though, practically starving. I couldn't wait to taste some of my mother's interesting cooking and just catch up on everything.

"Are you ready to go downstairs?" I questioned her, pulling myself off of the bed.

Alice, always the energy bonnie, quickly hopped off the bed and gave me a light peck on the lips. "Yes. Let's go tell your mother you're gay."

I shook my head at her and led the way through the hallway and down the stairs. My mother was fidgeting around in the small kitchen; I knew where everything was in the house, she'd sent me countless of blueprints with detailed explanations as to how every room was decorated: I felt like I'd lived in the house my entire life.

We entered the homey kitchen and saw that Renée was just setting the round kitchen table. She looked up when she saw us enter, and while Alice took a seat on one of the chairs, my mother wrapped her arms around me and squeezed me tightly.

"I'm so glad you're here, Bella," she whispered, pressing a kiss to my temple, "you don't know what I means to me. I haven't seen you in forever."

I felt myself blush slightly at the show of affection, but squeezed my mom tightly nonetheless. "Well, you have to thank Alice; she's the one who got us the tickets."

Renée turned around to smile warmly at Alice, and as she took a seat at the table, she continued to chatter, "That's a very generous gift Alice, how come such a young girl has the money to buy that? I saw that you flew out here first class."

Alice shot my mother one of her giant smiles and padded the chair next to her, motioning for me to sit down as well. "My parents might've helped me with the money. But they love Bella too, like their own, and they think it's such a shame that she doesn't see you more. My mom says that if her daughter was living so far away, she'd go insane."

The older woman shot us a crooked smile. "She's completely right, it's horrible. I might have to call and thank her someday."

"You'd adore Esme." I quickly assured her, before reaching for the crackers she'd placed in front of us. Thankfully, she'd decided not to cook. Otherwise I would probably have gone to bed hungry.

"Aren't you hungry too, Alice?" my mother questioned my girlfriend, when Alice leaned back in her chair and didn't even spare the food a glance.

Alice shook her head in an adorable fashion, "No. No, not really." she smiled.

I munched on my cracker. "Alice never eats much, Mum. The food on the plane was more than sufficient."

It didn't please Renée, I could totally see that, but thankfully she didn't comment further on it. She just poured coffee into the three cups, not bothering to ask if we wanted something or not. I'd always liked coffee, and Alice would just pretend to sip it like she did at school. My mother set the pot down again and immediately started going on and on about Phil and _The Suns_ and how everything was going. He was out travelling with them right now, but usually they stayed home so she didn't miss him terribly.

We listened to her talk about how everything was for a while, and I could feel my eyelids getting heavier. Thanks to the coffee I wasn't too tired and luckily we'd be able to sleep in tomorrow. We'd done most of our homework for the weekend on the plane, so we didn't have that to think about either. And Alice had assured me that she wanted my mum and I to spend some time alone, just the two of us, too. She'd just stick around in our room, claiming she had some school work to do, which would allow my mum and I to do our mother/daughter bonding.

Eventually, the subject of conversation landed on Alice and I, and small town Forks. I would have to tell her about us soon. I didn't really want to hide it either; I wanted to be able to kiss Alice like we could when we were at her house or my house. That's why my mother had to know tonight – so I could be myself. But she didn't really ask me about guys or anything, she just asked me about classes and Charlie and if I was doing okay in that shitty town.

"It's been great," I honestly replied, sipping my second cup of coffee, "Alice has been so good to me. She's honestly the best friend I've ever had."

My mother gave Alice a warm smile – I knew that her being my friend meant a lot to my mother, since I'd never had many of those before. "Well, Alice, you do seem rather awesome." she laughed, throwing in an eye-wink for good measure.

Alice didn't shy away beneath my mother's look, but casually raised her hand to swipe a piece of her hair back. She paused for a second there, hesitating, and that was enough for my mum; the ring that I gave Alice last weekend sparkled beautifully in the florescent light in the kitchen, and my mother's eyes went completely wide. Reaching across the table with no shame whatsoever, my mother pried Alice's hand into her own two and gaped at the heart-shaped ring.

"Wow!" she said, her eyes moving up to lock with mine for a brief second, before they returned to the piece of jewellery, "That's some amazing ring, Alice. It's an engagement ring, isn't it? So you have a boyfriend, I take it?"

We shared a brief look then, Alice and I, before my girlfriend spoke up, "It's not exactly an engagement ring, it's more..." she paused, glancing at her ring again with complete adoration, "It's more of a promise, really. A symbol of our love."

My mother dropped her hand then and gushed, "He must really love you if he buys a ring like that for you! He probably intend to make you his!" she laughed and glanced briefly at her own wedding band, which was just simple and plain. "What's his name, Alice? How long have you been together? Give me all the details! I like to feel young and live vicariously through Bells here."

Alice's eyes turned to meet mine again, and I knew that we'd dive head-first into the subject right now. I'd planned on telling my mother about me being gay, then about having a girlfriend, and_ then_ about the ring of promises. But I guess this would do, too. "Mum?" I told her, a nervous chuckle leaving my lips, "Mum, I gave her that ring."

Renée was confused immediately, I could tell. I knew all of her faces well, and the one she made right then, it was one of utter and complete confusion. She gaped from the ring, to me, to Alice, then back to the ring again, and it took her a few seconds to really say anything. "Oh.." she lowly whispered, her voice trailing into nothingness. Before final realisation settled inside of her, "_Oh_!"

My girlfriend giggled next to me; she'd probably seen _this _go down about a hundred times inside her head.

Mum's eyes met mine. "Isabella Swan, are you telling me that you're a lesbian?" she questioned, and I couldn't read her reaction. It seemed indifferent to me – she didn't seem either repulsed or shocked or happy about it. She just seemed.

I bit my lip and gently moved my left hand from the table to cover Alice's right hand. "Yeah." I bid back, nodding my head. "Yeah, I guess I am."

Renée stared at us for a few seconds then, clearly contemplating everything; going over it inside her head. Her eyes moved swiftly from side to side, and I could feel my pulse quicken, desperately hoping for a good reaction. Alice swiped her thumb across my hand, and I instantly calmed down. She _always_ knew when I needed little gestures like that.

Then, so suddenly it made me jump slightly in my own seat, Renée burst out of her chair and around the table, placing her arms around Alice and myself and pulling us close. Her head was positioned between our faces and I could smell the familiar scent of her shampoo mixed with her laundry detergent. It was nice and comforting, and I knew that she wasn't mad at all – she was squeezing the life out of us.

"Girls!" she gushed, placing a wet and sloppy kiss on my cheek, "Oh, this is so great! I was wondering if that was why you wanted to bring someone out here. And when I saw you at the gate, I just couldn't help but think that your friend was the most delicate beautiful thing, and wouldn't it be great if she was more than your friend! And she is!" she kissed my cheek again, before restraining herself and pulling back slightly.

Alice was trying to hide her chuckles.

I turned my head upwards to look at my mother. "So you're not mad?"

"Do I look mad to you?" Renée asked me, before moving around the table, reclaiming her seat. "I'm a bit surprised, yes, but I'm not mad. I would have imagined that your father would tell me all of this, and I can't for the life of me figure out why none of you have mentioned this to me!" she narrowed her eyes in on me, and I shrunk down in my seat.

However, it was Alice to the rescue, as always, "With all due respect, Ma'am, I asked Bella the same thing when we first started dating, but she insisted to tell you in person. Which I actually believe makes a lot of sense."

My mother smiled warmly at Alice and nodded again, her wild curly mane bouncing as she did so. "That's true. And what about you Alice – are your parents okay with all of this?"

"My parents love Bella." was Alice's quick reply, and I couldn't help the warm feeling that erupted inside my body because I knew it was true. Carlisle and Esme really did love me – they loved me so much, they wanted me to become a part of their family, permanently.

"I always had a feeling, Bells," my mother then said to me, reaching out for my hand, to cover it with hers, "I always wondered... _Is Bella gay?_ Now I know." she laughed.

I shrugged lamely, not really sure what to say to that.

Renée continued, "I will say though," she sternly said, her eyes moving to the piece of jewellery that started it all, "I think it's way too soon to be making promises like _that_. Not that I'm not happy for you, Honey, because you know I am," she quickly reassure me with a small smile, "but you just met each other. And decisions like that are important, you never know what might happen after high school. Who you'll meet, what you'll do..." she trailed off, hesitating.

I should probably feel mad at her, that she was telling me all of this, right in front of Alice nonetheless, but I simply couldn't. She was just looking out for me. She didn't want me to miss out on anything, and she certainly didn't want me to make the same mistakes that she did when she was young. She'd married my father on a whim and nine months later, there I was, and she was stuck in a small town with a baby and a husband she didn't even want. She'd gotten out of it, later, but she just didn't wish for me to ever end in a situation like that. And I loved her for thinking that way, even though it was completely unnecessary. Because Alice and I were different. She had no idea how much, but we were different.

"Are your parents okay with this development?" she asked then, turning her eyes to Alice's.

Alice smiled warmly at me mother, clearly not taking offence to anything that she was saying. "My parents want me to be happy. And they know that Bella makes me happier than I've ever been. I've – I've been through a lot, my entire family have. And who do you think helped Bella pay for this ring?" she held it out again, for my mother to take another look at, "That's a real diamond, you know. My mother helped Bella pick it out."

I shot Alice a teasing look. "She told you all of that?"

She winked at me, "She didn't have to."

My mother watched our banter with a thoughtful look on her face, before she sighed heavily and dropped Alice's hand. "I can see that you're really serious about each other, which pleases me." she paused and I shared a brief look with Alice again, "It just worries me that you're so young. But if it feels right, it feels right."

I could feel Alice's fingers clench around my thigh, as she rested it beneath the table, and I gazed at her briefly, before saying to my mother, "It feels absolutely perfect."

**x**

My mum insisted on taking Alice and I to the mall together on Saturday. She claimed that no girls bonded better with each other than over shopping and lunch. I thought it was an okay idea, even if I hated shopping, because my mother would always let me buy the clothes I really felt comfortable wearing, and then we'd just have fun and casually people-watch. But unfortunately, the sun had been shimmering down strongly since seven o'clock like it did most days in Florida, so I knew Alice couldn't join us. It'd be too huge of a risk.

She'd claimed to have an English Lit assignment that she needed to hand in on Monday and told my mother and I to go right ahead and have fun. I felt bad about leaving her alone all day in an unfamiliar house, especially when I knew she didn't have an assignment at all, but she'd given me a look that firmly told me it was okay. So I decided to forget about it and enjoy this day with my mother – who knew when I'd see her again anyway. I might as well cherish it.

Around one o'clock we took a seat in a tiny restaurant and decided to get something to eat. I texted Alice, wondering how she was doing back at the house, and she promptly informed me that she was 'catching up on her thinking'. I knew it was supposed to make me smile (which it did), but afterwards I just felt like a really bad girlfriend. Through lunch, my mother wanted to know everything about Alice and her family, so I told her about the Cullens and Alice's adoptive siblings and everything that I knew (leaving out one very giant, very important, detail). My mother loved the fact that Alice had plenty of siblings – it made me become a part of this huge family, and she thought that that was pretty great.

After we were done talking about that, it seemed like she was ready to question me more about my relationship with Alice. She was hesitating, I could tell, and I worried what she might be wondering so much about. I figured she'd ask me eventually, so I ate my sandwich in silence, watching her from across the table.

"So Bella..." my mum softly begun, and I dropped my sandwich to the plate and looked up at her in expectation. I'd had a feeling that something was coming, and I'd been right. "You and Alice, huh?"

I nodded slowly. "Me and Alice."

Renée ducked her head. "I'm not really sure how I feel about it. I mean – I know how I acted yesterday, but you can't blame a mum for watching out for her only child."

Chuckling lowly, I swept a piece of my hair out of my face. "I don't blame you. Just talk to me. What are you afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid of anything, really." she said, furrowing her brow. "It's just so sudden. You'd never looked at another person twice before, and now you're claiming you want to be with this girl forever. How did that happen?"

I could understand why that would be confusing to her. I'd literally never been on a date before, never kissed another person, because it had never interested me. I'd like to say that I was waiting for Alice because I somehow felt that she would come along, but I also knew that it must look weird in my mother's eyes. "I know I was never the most sociable person," I told my mother with a little shrug, "but the second I saw Alice – I was sold."

Renée said, "When did you see her?"

"On my first night in town." I quickly rambled off, "I went to look around and there she was, singing on stage at this filthy bar. She had the most amazing voice and I couldn't keep my eyes off of her. Right then and there I just knew," I whispered, desperately wanting my mother to know that my life had changed within a second. Literally – one second, I was plain old, ordinary Bella Swan, the next second... my entire world revolved around Alice Cullen. "I knew that I had to have her. I didn't doubt it, I was certain."

Swallowing loudly, my mother encouraged me to talk more, even though I was never a chatterbox. "So when did you talk to her?"

I stared deeply into my mother's eyes, and decided that I might as well tell her everything. I'd never told Charlie this part of the story, because he'd absolutely freak out. "As I was leaving that night, these three guys followed me. I'm sure they would have mugged me or done something worse entirely." I seriously told her, not blinking once. It was important to me that she understood that I'd been in real danger here, and that I'd been screwed if Alice hadn't showed up. "But then she came. Don't ask me how she did this, but that tiny... little... thing – she scared off three big guys, and ever since then, I've just – I've been completely in love with her."

Renée sighed heavily. "Yeah, I don't doubt you." she said, with a real smile on her face. "I can see that you're serious about her. That's what scares me..."

"Don't be scared."

She laughed, her eyes sparkling in amusement. "It's easier said than done, Bella." she reached a hand across the table and gently wrapped it around mine, "So how about that ring, huh? It's pretty."

I could feel myself bursting with amusement too. "Alice deserves nothing less."

My mother leaned back in her chair again, and slowly started picking her salad as she mused it over. We ate in silence for a while, I could practically hear my teeth clattering as I chewed. My mother just seemed off in her own world, thinking things over while she stabbed her vegetables with more force than necessary. The situation would probably have been hilarious if I hadn't been in it myself.

"So have you slept with her?"

I felt my eyes go wide and almost managed to knock my glass over at my mother's question. Turning my eyes to meet hers, I wasn't surprised to see that she was completely serious. It didn't stop me from feeling flustered and embarrassed all the same over the fact that she'd actually just asked me that question. Wasn't there supposed to be some law about that? Parents weren't supposed to ask their daughters about those sort of things! I gulped loudly and gaped at her, "Mum!"

She chuckled and shrugged her shoulders. "What? I'm curious! I'm just taking an interest in your life, Bella!"

I shook my head at her in disbelief. "Don't – don't ever ask me that, okay."

Renée was still chuckling, which really didn't help the fluster in my cheeks. The fact that she found this so amusing only caused me to go redder in the face. "Why? I'm just interested, Honey... I'm curious – how do you suddenly know that you're interested in women? Me, I've never thought about it, I mean, I've kissed my fair share of females, but it must be totally different once you're down there and-"

"Oh my God!" I fought the urge to cover my ears with my hands and go 'la-la-la' very loudly just to keep her words out of my head. Seriously – was she seriously sitting there in front of me, demanding that we have this conversation? Oh the horror! "Mum, could we please not talk about this?" I hissed at her. And why did it feel like everyone in the entire restaurant was staring at me? Could they hear what we were saying?

My mother chuckled again, and I hated that she found this subject so entertaining. "You have, haven't you?" she said, before she beamed at me with everything she had. "Oh my, my baby girl is no longer a baby!"

I groaned. "Mum, we're out in public!"

She raised an eyebrow suggestively. "So what's it like?"

"I'm not talking to you about this."

She took a long sip of her beer and battered her eyelashes at me. "Of course we are, Bella, we're two mature women, just having a conversation. I'm rather curious to know, Sweetheart."

I sighed heavily. There was no way I was getting out of this one. But I was _not_ going to share intimate details with her, that was for sure. I'd just humour her a little bit and then hopefully she'd forget all about this. "It was great, okay? I've never thought much about it, uhm... _sex_, but with Alice... I just wanted to have her close and everything felt right to me."

Renée nodded in understanding as she studied me with serious eyes. "Was it Alice's first time, too?"

Biting my lip, I shook my head. "No, no Alice eh... Alice has had a few boyfriends before me." I groaned inwardly by the thought of Alice and Jasper, which was something I tried not to contemplate too much because I spent so much time with the both of them. But sometimes, when I saw them interact, I couldn't help but feel slightly jealous. I knew Alice loved me though, and that Jasper loved Kate, too. "It never worked out though. Now she knows why, she says. She must've been gay all along."

"I can't imagine what it must be like." my mother thoughtfully contributed to the conversation, "I mean – there's no tough chest, instead there's – there's _boobs_, y'know?" she wrinkled her nose.

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah I know, Mum." I licked my lips. "I like boobs. Alice has perfect boobs." _She totally does have perfect boobs. _

With a flick of her hair, Renée said, "I see."

I just looked at her then. Man, I'd really missed my mother. Even though she had to drag it out of me, I'd really missed talking to her like this. We used to talk about everything, really. It wasn't the same, talking to her on the phone like we only did now. Mostly because we never had the time to do so – we just sent emails now. We were both so busy with our lives, it was hard to find the time – at the same time – to talk to each other. I wished we could do this more often. But I knew that it was for the better that I lived with Charlie. Plus, when I decided to be changed, this was something I'd be giving up as well.

"So how does small town Forks take it to have two out lesbians?" my mother wanted to know then, sipping her beer once more.

I made a face and finished the rest of my coke. "They weren't too thrilled to begin with, but things have calmed down now. I mean – they still call us names, but Alice doesn't really care, which makes me not care too much either. It just rolls off her back."

My mother perched her lips. "Really?"

I absent-mindedly played with my napkin as I talked to her, "Well – Alice hasn't really had the easiest life so far. All her siblings are adopted, as I already told you, but she's the odd one out. People at school call her 'freak' and -" I paused, not really knowing how to continue. I always hated thinking about how people spoke of Alice. I knew she didn't care at all, but it hurt me, still. "Well, she doesn't let it bother her."

"Smart girl." my mother observed with a slight nod, as she reached for her beer.

I drew in another shaky breath and let napkin be napkin. "I mean, it's really not so bad, Mum. It's not Phoenix or anything, but we were able to go to the school dance together. It was great."

Renée almost spit out the sip she'd just taken as she looked at me. "_You_ went to a – a _dance_?"

Only my mother – a person who really knows me – would be able to fully grasp the significance of such an action on my account. I sheepishly nodded.

"You must really love her." she whispered, as if realisation just dawned on her completely.

I reached into my pockets for my cell phone and saw that there was another text from Alice (_Still thinking, Bells xo)_, before I flipped past it and into my photos. Finding the one I searched for, I gave the phone to my mother. "Esme sent me this the other day. It's of me and Alice before the dance."

My mother looked at the small picture on the phone for a few seconds, before her eyes landed on me again. "What the hell are you wearing, Bella?" she chuckled, before she snapped the phone shut and handed it back to me.

Of all the things she could say, she chose to focus on that. I rolled my eyes. "Rosalie styled me, okay? And Alice and I were matching lessies."

"You do look good together." she assured me with a wink.

I shook my head in disbelief of my mother and stuck my phone back into my pocket. I knew we were good together – I'd known that since day one. And I was quite happy that I'd managed to make my mum see it as well.

**x **

The rest of the weekend was spent just hanging around at my mother's house, watching movies and chatting about everything. My mother seemed to be even happier about Alice after we got back from the mall than she was before, and I was thankful for that. Alice was the best thing that ever happened to me, and I was pretty sure my mother was starting to realise that. She took plenty of pictures of us, claiming she wanted to have a lot of memories to keep since she rarely saw us.

Alice promised her than she'd make sure to fly us both out here for an entire week during our summer holiday. It'd be terrible for Alice to have to hide so long, but I could tell that it meant a lot to my mum, and Alice could tell that it meant a lot to me.

But even if it was nice to hang around my mother again, it was still nice to settle into the comfortable first class seat for the flight back home. Renée could be a very draining person, and when one usually hangs around Charlie all day long and his enthusiasm as a parents is rather small, it's difficult to suddenly get used to her overjoyed personality with all its quirks and whatnot.

I found myself snuggling into Alice, after pushing the armrest down between our seats. I tugged my feet beneath myself and watched through the small window as the world flew by beneath us. The sun was still shining brightly, but by the time we landed, it would have settled and Edward would be there to pick us up for the ride home. We had school tomorrow, but I was way too tired to think about that. I wonder how Charlie would feel about me skipping – probably not very good, eh?

Alice's tiny fingers weaved through my hair effortlessly as my breathing calmed down and my pulse slowed. I turned my eyes to look up at her; her eyes were ink black since she hadn't been able to hunt out there and there had been lots of new smells and temptations. But she'd done so well, I could hardly believe it.

"Thanks for coming with me." I whispered to her, as we locked ourselves into our little bubble, ignoring the sounds around us from other passengers and the flight attendants.

Alice placed a kiss to the side of my head. "You're most welcome, Bella. I just thought we should use this opportunity. Who knows when it'll happen again?"

I closed my eyes and settled deeper into her calming embrace. "She really does like you. Even after she found out I'm sleeping with you."

Laughter bubbled in Alice's chest. "You told her that?"

"She sneaked it out of me!" I whined, still not opening my eyes to look at her. "She's like this... conversation wizard. If she wants to know something, she'll find out."

Alice's fingers were still drawing calming things on my skin. "Well that's good, I guess. That she knows everything. That she knows how much I care about you."

I opened my eyes then and turned to look at her, twisting my head upwards, admiring her from beneath. "How did_ you_ know though?" I gently questioned her. I'd actually been wondering about this for a while now. "I mean – how come you just wanted to go for it with me? You know, _me_ – I'm so slow at these things. I know I wanted you, but I could never get myself to do anything about it..." I trailed off, and watched as her mouth formed a perfect 'O', "We wasted all that time, you know. I couldn't deny that I wanted you, yet I still didn't do anything. But you! You just seemed so sure that-"

She cut me off. Placing a finger against my lips, she lovingly shushed me. "You're cute when you ramble like that." she whispered, before trailing her finger from my lips, down my body and to my waist, where her entire hand settled nicely. "And to be honest? I was _sure_. I was sure that I wanted you, don't ever doubt that. I knew I loved you before I even saw you."

I opened my mouth to object to that, but she stopped me.

Placing a finger to her head, she continued, "Gift remember?" she wriggled her eyebrows, "I just – I didn't want to scare you, Bella. I could see that we'd love each other in the future, I just couldn't see when. I mean, I knew it wasn't in fifty years, because you still looked young, but it could be five years from now, and a lot can change in five years. I didn't want to scare you off," she gently explained to me, "since we can seem pretty intimidating. I just wanted to show you my feelings, _slowly_. Hopefully, that way it'd all work out."

She was right of course. "And it did." I agreed, raising her hand to my lips, to place a lingering kiss there.

"And it did." she mumbled.

I sighed. "What did I ever do to meet you? I can't stress how lucky I feel."

"Oh trust me," Alice firmly said, squeezing me tightly, "I'm the lucky one."

I completely disagreed, but I didn't want to fight her on it. Instead, I snuggled completely into her embrace and gazed out the window. The sun was slowly starting to set.

* * *

_Thank you so much for all the kind reviews you guys left me for the last chapter! I'm thrilled that you all liked the amount of fluff I put in there, since this was practically the same – with a bit of Renée added into the mix. I thought she deserved to be mentioned in my story, too. _

_The next chapter should pick up on the action again. I think I've reached my fluff quota for now ;-) _

_Please leave me your thoughts on this chapter. We're – dare I say this? - nearing the end with this story! I'm thinking three chapters more or something like that :) _

_**Disclaimer; **I don't own Twilight. _


	20. Chapter Twenty

**Chapter Twenty **

I was munching happily away on my apple, as I strolled through the Cullens' backyard, trying to pass time.

Everything was set for the ceremony that was to take place in about an hour or so; the lights hung low and beautifully draped between tree after tree, the night was clear with a full moon, and the gazillion of little dots jotted across the dark sky gave small pecks of light as the stars shined. The makeshift podium that stood between two giant old oaks was draped with white for purity and roses because Rosalie loved them. There was room for Carlisle and the happy couple, and Edward's piano was sitting off to the side; ready to play the wedding march. To finalize everything, five chairs were lined up in front of it, where the rest of us would be seated during the brief – but no doubt beautiful – ceremony.

It was nearing six o'clock and Rosalie was getting ready in her room with the help of Esme and Kate. She'd been fussing all day, wanting everything to go perfect, and Alice had explained to me that even though their real wedding had been very long ago (neither her and Jasper had been a part of the family at the time), Rosalie liked for her and Emmett to renew their vows every once in a while, to make them appear more human. A human couple would date throughout high school and somewhere down the road tie the knot. So she liked to throw these ceremonies every now and then; plus, it gave them all a reason to celebrate, since they stopped caring about birthdays after they all turned fifty.

Emmett was also getting into his tux (I couldn't wait to see him; I had a feeling he'd look particularly dashing), and Jasper had been sent there by Rosalie to make sure he didn't screw anything up. Edward was sitting by the piano, his long fingers moving effortlessly along the keys as he stared into the dark and dusty forest in front of him.

The entire atmosphere was nice and soothing, and I couldn't help but feel that this was going to be a wonderful evening – a fantastic celebration of love and togetherness. And I couldn't help but imagine that someday down the road, these exact nine people (plus a possible mate of Edward's) would join together and celebrate mine and Alice's love as well. The thought of marrying Alice and being a part of this family for eternity didn't scare me one bit. I wanted it so badly my fingers were practically itching to grab it. It was comforting to know that it was well within my reach, but at times I found myself getting so impatient that I could hardly wait. However – I did know that waiting was the best idea for now, considering everything. I just – I just found it so hard. And I wanted to make sure that Alice knew that that was what I wanted, no, what I _needed_ to have in the future.

So I decided to go and find her so I could inform her of this. I had no idea where she and Carlisle were, but the latter was probably finishing up his speech for the ceremony, since he was – in fact – officiating. He'd become ordained on the internet when that first become possible, so these things were easier done now that they didn't have to forge a lot of papers and things like that. (Even though Alice assured me that Jasper knew of someone who could _easily_ help them – he'd forge just about everything, she said).

I swallowed the last part of my apple and scurried past Edward into the clean steel kitchen. I was the only one who ever really used it. Esme only put groceries into the fridge to take them out again a few days later, so she could throw them in the trash. I plopped my apple core into the green garbage can and continued to make my way through the house in search of my girlfriend.

Alice had made me dress up today too; I hadn't had anything she deemed acceptable, so she'd forced me into one of her dresses. It was okay, I guess, I was doing this for Rosalie because it meant so much to her. It was a simple purple dress, and it suited me, and at least I didn't have to wear high heels. Alice looked beautiful, of course, I'd seen her earlier, when we'd dressed up together, before she'd fled off to wherever it was that she'd gone to. Sometimes it was hard to keep track of her; she was like this bustling little midget bursting with energy, and I just felt like a tired human compared to her (which, of course, I _actually_ was – but still).

I passed Jasper's bedroom where I could hear him and Emmett laughing their butts off at something on the TV (I peeked inside, they were playing something on his xbox – Rosalie would have had a fit had she not been busy getting ready herself), before I continued down the hall. The girls were gathered in Rosalie and Emmett's bedroom, I assumed, because I heard constant buzzing coming from there, and as I was about to turn the corner, Kate came scurrying pass me, excusing herself as she went.

Chuckling, I continued down the other hallway and thought I'd just ask Carlisle where Alice had gone off to. I stepped up to his office door and had lifted my closed fist to knock when the sound of Alice's voice stopped me in my tracks. Actually, it wasn't as much the sound of Alice's voice (because – after all – I had been looking for her) as it was what she was saying.

"-keep _seeing_ Victoria." Alice finished, her bell-like voice floating through the slightly creaked door and into my waiting ears.

Carlisle sounded concerned and I held my breath. "I don't know what to say, Alice, we can't exactly stop today from happening. I know you'd feel a lot better if we decided to postpone the ceremony, but I hardly think that's fair to Rosalie. And even if we did – would it stop her? I believe she'd still pay us a visit, we would just be lounging around in the house when it happened instead."

I furrowed my brow. Victoria? Had Alice seen her come – _today_? But what could she possible want today? I knew that she wanted me; that was clear to everybody, because Alice had killed James, and the wolves had killed Laurent, and she was probably looking for revenge. But today? When there were eight vampires ready to protect me? That just seemed stupid – even for her. And how would she even get pass the wolves and up here?

Biting my lip, my mind settled on Jacob. We'd hardly spoken since that night when they destroyed James. He wasn't happy with me, and I understood that. I'd love it if I could have both Alice and him, but it just didn't seem plausible. And I was done trying, honestly. So we'd come to a sort of agreement, and it was to be in each other's lives – from a distance. I'd never go to the reservation unless it was absolutely required of me, because to the Quileutes, I was now frolicking with the enemy, and I'd made my choice. Plus, I didn't want to put Jacob through more heartache than I'd already done. It just wasn't fair.

Alice had been very proud of me when I'd told her about my decision.

Zooming back in on their conversation, I caught the end of another of Alice's sentences, "-care of Bella. I know Rosalie deserves this, we all deserve to have a little fun today, but I just can't seem to shake the feeling that something will happen."

"There's eight of us, Alice." Carlisle assured her with a firm voice. "We'll know when she comes, I don't think she'll be foolish enough to actually attack us."

Alice was hesitant to answer; she must be contemplating her words thoroughly. "I just – I don't think she cares about that, Carlisle." she whispered; her voice was small and fragile, and my insides froze because I could tell that she was really worried. "She's desperate. She wants Bella, even if it's the last thing she does. She'll die trying, and I just can't risk that."

"We won't let _anyone_ harm Bella." Carlisle continued to assure her – and me, too, because honestly, they must know I was listening. Feeling like I shouldn't really eavesdrop on their conversation more in case there were other things they wanted to discuss, I turned on my heel and hurried down the hallway the way I had just come.

To be honest – having Victoria out there, it worried me. I mean, of course it would – wouldn't it worry just about anybody with a pulse? She was evil – pure, dangerous evil. And she had a vendetta against us because of what happened to her mate and her friend. Sure, I felt untouchable and safe when I was with the Cullens, but I also knew, that at some point she'd probably strike, and if one of them got hurt because of me … I couldn't bare to even finish the thought, it was too horrible.

I entered the backyard again, and Edward was still playing beautifully on the piano, but now some of the others had joined the party. Emmett was waiting at his spot; standing handsomely in a tailored suit that somehow made his boyish face look grown-up and serious. Esme, Kate and Jasper had each taken a seat, and I joined them, sitting down on a spare chair next to Esme. There was room for Alice on my left.

The night had gotten slightly cooler, but the bolero I had borrowed from Esme's closet was still enough to keep me warm. Everything seemed as wonderful as it had done before I ventured inside earlier, yet I couldn't shake the nervous feeling; the thought that something might go wrong. That she was luring at us, waiting to strike when we least expected it. I met Edward's eyes as he glanced across his family, and he gave me an encouraging smile, which I couldn't help but return.

_You're safe, Bella. _

Esme sighed happily next to me. "I know we've done this so many times before, but it's always such a joy when some of us renew our vows. It reminds me of why this afterlife is worth living, Bella."

I grinned at her; her smile was contend, happy, and she just seemed so at peace with everything. Obviously, she didn't know about Victoria, and I wasn't going to tell her. Esme was the person who had the most love to give and share. I wasn't about to ruin this day for her. "This entire family makes it worth living." I told her, placing a gentle hand on her bare arm.

She smiled back at me; her auburn hair cascading down her shoulders, illuminated by the lights from above. "One day you'll see that there's many cons to this life, Bella, but you'll also realise that love makes everything worth it."

I couldn't help but agree with her; I just knew it was the truth, even if I wasn't dealing with everything they were – yet. I knew that no matter what I was going to face once I was transformed, I'd have Alice with me every step of the way. Even when I wouldn't remember how we met and fell in love, we'd still have each other, and I was certain we could overcome my transformation.

Just then, Alice slipped into the seat next to mine as Carlisle joined Emmett on the podium. She pressed a light kiss to my cheek and told me in a hushed tone not to worry about it. She didn't say what, because Esme was right there next to us, but she didn't have to – I knew anyway. I grabbed her hand tightly as the pace of the music changed, and Edward's fingers starting moving slower. We all turned our heads to see Rosalie as she slipped out the door and towards us, her path lit up by hundreds of small paper balls in different colours.

She looked absolutely stunning; quite possibly the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen in my life. The only imagine that'd ever top this would be when I saw Alice in such a white dress on our wedding day. Rosalie possessed such a natural grace and she carried an aura around her of confidence. Even when she – like now – had eyes on nothing but Emmett as she made her way towards him in slow, deliberate strikes. The wedding dress was over the top and filled with tulle and lace, but it was so Rosalie, and I imagined that this was what wedding dresses looked like when she was still a regular girl and had made plans for this day with her girlfriends.

Her skin was glowing, shimmering in the moonlight like thousands of diamonds, and her golden eyes were pierced on Emmett, who stood there, his hands folded in front of him, with the goofiest grin on his face. I'd never seen him happier than right now, which said a lot – Emmett was _always_ happy.

Rosalie joined Emmett and Carlisle on the podium, and Edward stopped playing while the rest of us held our breaths in anticipation – I couldn't wait to hear what Carlisle had to say.

"Today we are gathered," he begun, his hands folded in front him him, much like Emmett had just had his, before they reached out to grasp Rosalie's hands, "to celebrate the marriage of Rosalie and Emmett. You are both here to renew your vows, and you will do so in front of your entire family. This year, we have a new member in our midst, and though the road to this place has not been easy for either of you, I think it's important that we show our new family member that even though there may be obstacles, love really can overpower most anything, if you really try."

Rosalie and Emmett tightened their hold on each other, and I felt a weird sense of finality settling in my every pore. This was _it_.

Carlisle continued his speech, "We are a family. A slightly unorthodox family, which causes apprehension from other people wherever we go. But even though we're most often met with hostility, it never bothers us. Because we have each other. We have a beautiful family, a family filled with love and adoration. A family we've worked hard to create, a family we're still working hard to keep intact. And because times often can be rough for us, I think it's important that we keep up with our traditions. Therefore, I will now ask you, Emmett, to please tell Rosalie what is on your mind."

I'm pretty sure that if Emmett could cry, he'd be doing so already. He was so in love with Rosalie, it was sometimes scary to witness. "Rose – you're the reason I'm still here; the reason I'm a part of this family. Had it not been for you, I would have led a loveless life, and life full of lies and murders. You keep me sane, baby. And I love you. You're everything to me, and wherever you go, I'll follow. Don't ever doubt that."

It was probably the most serious thing I'd ever hear Emmett speak (until the next renewal of vows, perhaps), and Esme was smiling brightly next to me, proudly watching her kids. I could feel a tingle on my skin and looked down to see Alice tracing a finger over the back of my hand. I'm pretty sure that she was the Rosalie to my Emmett, because everything he'd just said – it was exactly how I felt for Alice.

"Thank you, Emmett." Carlisle continued, a smile gracing his lips as he gazed over his family, his eyes settling briefly on Esme, lingering a second longer than the rest of us, "If you will continue, Rosalie."

Rosalie hesitated for a second, and I heard Kate draw in a sharp breath; she was holding on to Jasper's hand tightly, and his other arm was wrapped around her shoulder as they watched their sister, their friend, admitting to love, proving that love.

"Emmett," she huskily whispered, her usually stoic stature shaking slightly as she looked at him, "you're the most important thing to me. Before I met you, this life was not worth living, and I considered leaving it countless of times. But then one day – one faithful afternoon – I was out in the forest, thinking, and suddenly I saw you there. You were hurt, you were bleeding badly, and you were dying in my arms. It is the hardest thing I've ever had to do, but I carried you all the way back to Carlisle so he could change you. I was selfish, of course, because I wanted you. But I did it for love, and I'm thankful everyday that I had the strength to do so, because I'm not sure I'd be here right now, if it wasn't for you. You're my everything. I love you so much."

As Carlisle officially ended the ceremony and the two of them leaned in to kiss each other, I couldn't help but think about that again; it amazed me, it really did. Every time I heard this story, I was always blown away by the strength Rosalie must have possessed to carry Emmett for so long, his blood teasing her, just so he could be changed. Any other vampire would probably have gone crazy from the smell, but Rosalie – she'd been able to control herself, simply because she _loved_ him. After one look at his childish face, she'd loved him too much to ever be apart from him. There was something so utterly romantic about this, it just blew me away.

All of us stood up to follow the happy couple down the pathway to go inside the house to continue the celebration. Alice tugged at my hand, pulling me into her body. She hugged me close, kept me by her side as the rest of her family disappeared inside, and I looked down at her; her golden eyes were filled with love and adoration, and I could tell that she felt the sentiment from the ceremony we'd just seen, she felt it just like I did.

Brushing a piece of my hair away, she tip-toed up to place a kiss on my lips. "I love you so much." she huskily whispered.

The hard structure of the ring I bought her rubbed against my cheek as I leaned into her touch. "I love you too." I mumbled, closing my eyes as I heard my voice crack. Something akin to love welled up in my throat, and I was just so happy, I felt like I could cry and never stop.

_You fucking love her, Bella. _

Alice closed her eyes and slowly pressed her head against my chest; her small arms were wrapped around my waist, and somehow I wound my own around her shoulders and pressed her even closer into me. I couldn't get enough; I needed her right there, so close to me. It was wrong for her to ever leave my side, and I was desperate to never be apart from her again. I could feel my heartbeat thud loudly in my chest and the raise and fall of my chest was slow and painful, but Alice stood there, right by my side, and I was pretty sure that this was all I'd ever need.

"Bella," she whispered again, pushing herself slightly away from me, to lock our eyes; seriously, "no matter what happens, know that it will be okay. I'll never leave you. I'll be there. _Always_."

Maybe she was reassuring herself or maybe she was reassuring me, I don't know. All I knew was that because of whatever she had seen, she needed to get this out, and I was happy about that. There were plenty of different scenarios of how this thrust with Victoria could end, but I was confident that as long as Alice was there, it was going to be okay, somehow.

I placed a lingering kiss on her forehead. "I never doubted that."

She smiled up at me and tugged herself into my side as we made our way towards the door to go inside; ready to celebrate with the rest of them. We were walking beneath the colourful lights and Alice was humming softly into my side, and I felt happy. So, so _happy_.

Entering the house, I realised that all the furniture in their living room had been shoved aside and they were now dancing along to some kind of music emanating from their giant surround sound stereo. It sounded like something from the fifties, and while Rosalie and Emmett were busy kissing and cuddling in the corner, Esme & Carlisle and Jasper & Kate were tearing the dance floor apart with some beautiful moves.

Alice looked at me with huge eyes, but I shook my head at her. There was no way in hell I was even attempting to dance to something like this. It was okay at the school dance with the contemporary music, but I'd look like a fool next to them; these people had actually been alive when this music was first coming out; they'd experienced it first-hand. There was no way I could compete with that. So instead, I nudged Alice in Edward's direction and she winked at me, before she grabbed her brother's hand and pulled him onto the floor to join her family.

I huddled myself in the recliner by the wall and watched them all move around in amazement. I could hardly tell when one couple ended and another begun; they were just blurs of colours, moving pass me with quick movements to the sound of the beat. My eyes tried to stay on Alice and Edward – they were the easiest to make out because she was so much tinier than the rest of them; and a weird sense of pride welled up inside of me when I saw the absolute glee on her face. I could spend forever seeing that (and, I realised this with a flutter of the heart, I actually _would_) and it would be enough. Knowing we'd fight in the future and that I might put a frown on her face scared me, but if I told myself that I'd eventually make the smile return, I could live with that.

My stomach growled hungrily and I decided to move into the kitchen to get something to eat. The apple I ate earlier was not enough to substitute for a real dinner, so I'd have to suck it up and make myself a sandwich. I crossed the floor and ventured into the other room, sighing loudly as the door closed behind me; shielding me from the sound of the music. I rummaged through cabinets and the fridge to find whatever I needed, and took a seat on one of the barstools, deciding to just stay and finish eating in here, so I wouldn't have to pester them with the smell of food.

I cut lettuce, tomato and cucumber as my mind once again settled on today's ceremony and this family and all that Alice meant to me. It was so strange for me to be here – just a year ago, I was boring, ordinary Bella. Heck, even six months ago I was boring, ordinary Bella! But because of one little decision – the decision for me to move to Forks to give my mother and Phil some room – had changed everything for me. If I hadn't made that decision, I would have never met Alice. I wondered what my life would have been like then, as I placed some sliced cheese on top of the vegetables, before closing the bread around the giant pile.

Would I have been this happy? I was somehow convinced that I could never be this happy without her, but who'd know? If I hadn't met her, I wouldn't know what I was missing, right? It was strange territory to venture into, and I didn't want to linger at 'what if's, but still – I couldn't help myself.

Eating my sandwich and gulping down orange juice, I couldn't help but think back to that day when I first met Alice. On my first night in town, everything had changed. It was one of those life-altering moments, those rare opportunities you think will never happen to you. But it did happen to me, and I had known it the second I saw her on stage; my beautiful Alice. From the very first moment, I'd wanted her, loved her. She'd been everything to me. Chuckling to myself, I realised that Alice had seen me coming a hundred miles away. She'd had visions of me, seen me get in trouble with those three guys after leaving the bar. That's why she was there, singing, that night. To save me, to see me, to get to _know_ me.

I'd always focused on the fact that Alice was my once-in-lifetime, but at this second it really struck me – I was her once-in-a-lifetime, too.

The door to the kitchen smacked open and I looked up to find Edward hopping on to the barstool in front of me. Damn those vampires and their quick movements. I barely had time to respond.

He wriggled his nose at the smell of my food. "Nasty."

I waved the last bit of it in front of his face before stuffing it into my mouth. "Having fun?" I questioned him, totally unattractively as I chewed with an open mouth.

Edward rolled his eyes at my childishness. "Alice decided to go all chatterbox on the happy couple, so I made my escape."

"Sounds like her." I said, and couldn't help the warm smile that spread across my face just by the thought of her.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm so happy you came along, Bella. Not only are you exactly what Alice has always needed, but you're my best friend, too. You get me."

I couldn't help but nod along with him. I knew exactly where he was coming from; I felt like he got me, too. I'd had other friends, heck, even now I had other friends like Angela, Jessica and Mike, but Edward and I – we could _talk_. We clicked, and I could tell him weird things that no one else understood. Sometimes, Alice would deem me moody and boring and bounce off to annoy Rosalie or Jasper, and I'd have Edward and we'd just sit together and just... be. It was nice to know that I'd have a friend like him for lifetime, as well.

"I didn't get you at first," he honestly told me, dusting off the surface to remove the few crumbs I'd managed to leave behind, "because I couldn't read your mind, you know."

Biting my lip, I agreed. It was sort of a mystery, why he couldn't read my mind. Alice's powers, Jasper's powers and possibly – I shuddered at the thought – Kate's powers worked on me. Not that I'd ever let her try, because I did not have desire to die a painful death. "It's strange." I mumbled.

Edward chuckled. "That's what drew me to you at first, why I wasn't as upset as the others when Alice told me all about you. I guess she saw that you and I would find something in each other."

She probably did see that. That girl saw _everything_.

"You're just a really closed-up person, I guess." Edward mumbled, his golden eyes studying me closely as they scanned my face down to every freckle. It was scrutinizing and I felt smaller beneath his gaze. "I'm thinking this might lead to some kick-ass power at one point. Hopefully."

My eyes went wide then and there. A power? I had not thought of that. But they did say that vampires carried their most admirable trait with them when they were changed and that would become their power. Not all powers ended up being super special, like Esme – she had so much love in her, just like when she was human. But me? Would I get a power sort of like Alice's or Edward's? Or would I get a power like Esme or Carlisle's? I'd never thought about that, but the idea that I'd somehow end up with something special made me feel even giddier about the change. Perhaps my weird personality trait really would do me something good in the afterlife.

Edward looked up then; his golden eyes turning wide as he hopped off the barstool. "Something's wrong." he mumbled, and before I had time to really comprehend what was going on, he'd fled from the kitchen, leaving me with a half empty glass of juice and a lot of questions.

I shrugged it off and immediately followed in his tracks, hurrying across the hall and into the living room, eager to figure out what was going on. I had a slight feeling what it might be, based on Alice's earlier worries, but it still surprised me to find Victoria standing in the open back-door, the rest of the Cullens huddled in the other end of the room, and me and Edward by the entrance, right between them.

Victoria hissed when she saw me.

"What do you want?" Alice demanded to know from her position. Her eyes flickered between Victoria and me, and I could tell that she wanted to be closer to me; she wanted to shield me from whatever was going to happen.

The redhead took a step closer into the room and all the vampires were cautious. "Nothing to worry about, Alice," she replied, her voice loaded with sugar sweetness, "I'm just here to talk."

Carlisle took a couple of steps forward, representing his family, and I could see Esme bite her lip in nervousness. "What did you want to talk about, Victoria?" he gently asked her. He wanted to keep the situation simple – he didn't want to fight, not if it wasn't necessary. Of course I knew that he would protect his family if needed, but he'd never hurt anyone if he could help it.

Edward took a step backwards and shielded me from Victoria's direct line of vision.

She took a step to the side, and once more I found her looking at me. "I've come to talk about your plaything." she whispered.

Emmett huffed loudly. "She's not a plaything. She's Alice's mate."

Victoria raised an eyebrow. "I don't see how that's possible. She's _food_."

"We don't kill humans." Esme lightly replied, though I could clearly hear that her voice was strained. She was nervous; she was scared. She feared that this was going to end up badly. And frankly, so did I.

"Fascinating." was the only word out of Victoria's mouth, and I could clearly hear that she didn't find it fascinating at all. She found it rather stupid, really.

"Look," Kate spat, her blonde hair framing her face in an adorable way, which – honestly – would have made her look cute, if not for the pure devious look she wore right now, "if you're here for a reason, get to it, and if not – why don't you just hurry on along and leave us be?"

Jasper's grip tightened around her shoulders. "We're having a family celebration."

Victoria's eyes scanned over each of our faces again, and I could feel her eyes lingering on me a good while longer than the rest of them. I felt naked beneath her stare, as her eyes bore into me, ripping me open, leaving me vulnerable. "I did not take kindly to the fact that you tore James away from me." she mercilessly hissed, her red eyes settling hotly on Alice as they shot lightnings.

Alice indifferently shrugged her shoulders, acting like the total smart-ass we all knew she most definitely wasn't. "And I did not take kindly to the fact that he was trying to eat my girlfriend." she replied, stepping closer to the other vampire, her short stature no match to Victoria's tall frame. She was watching her though, I could see her tuning in and out of her visions.

"We eat humans." Victoria spat at her, threateningly stepping closer to Alice once more; it wouldn't take long before they were nose to stomach. "She smelled delicious, he wanted her. That's what we do. We're _vampires_."

The venom practically seeped out of her, and of course Emmett did not like what she was implying. "Are you saying that we're less vampires because we only eat animals?" he questioned her, and even though his tone was light, make no mistake – he was insulted, and he was going to pounce if he felt like it.

Victoria's red eyes settled on him then, sizing him up. She probably thought that she'd save that battle for another time (perhaps never), because she faltered. "No..." she trailed off, sweeping a piece of her curly hair away from her face, "...I was simply stating that we were meant to eat humans. Your choice is definitely..." she searched for the right word, "...admirable."

Like hell it is! They're awesome for doing this to themselves. But it was clear to me that Victoria didn't share my opinion on that.

"I wouldn't be able to resist..." Victoria continued, her eyes landing on me again as she hungrily gave me a once-over, "...the temptation."

Alice poked her lightly in the stomach. "Then it's a good thing you're not a part of our family, then! Because Bella's with us, and she always will be. _Always._"

The redhead took a step backwards, lowering her eyes to let them lock with Alice's, "I take it you're planning on changing her?"

Alice crossed her arms firmly and gave her a short nod in response.

Sighing heavily, Victoria glanced at no one in particular. "Well... that makes things sort of _interesting_ for me, I guess."

I did not want to ask how that made things for her interesting, because I had a pretty good idea. She wanted to eat me, they wanted to change me. Only one of them got what they wanted. And right now, she seemed pretty adamant at being the winner, here. I wouldn't be harmed with my family around me, but what happened the minute I went to school on a sunny day and the Cullens needed to stay home? Or the night I drove home from the grocery shop and she attacked me in my truck? I'd have to be on look-out all the damn time. I found myself wishing that graduation would just come quicker so I wouldn't have to deal with this.

Carlisle took another step towards her, gently motioning a hand towards the sofa that was pressed against the wall. "If you do wish to discuss something with my family and I, I suggest we take a seat."

Rosalie rolled her eyes and said, "And if you don't have anything important to say, _I _suggest you get the fuck out of here and let us continue our celebration."

Esme didn't even reprimand her with a stern "Language, Rosalie!" which really said a lot about the seriousness of this situation. Instead, she tucked herself safely into Emmett's other side.

Victoria strolled towards the couch, her arms hanging limply by her side as she took in her surroundings, going over every detail with her blood red eyes. I could tell that she was itching to go at me, to latch her teeth into my neck and never let go, but fortunately for me this room was filled with other vampires and she wasn't dumb enough to even attempt it. If she as much as moved in my direction, they'd all be at her in a heartbeat.

I just really wanted to get out of here. I could tell by the way that Carlisle was handling this situation, that he wanted me gone as well. But he'd have them take me somewhere, and I didn't want that. All I really wanted was to just leave the house on my own, drive home and be with Charlie. They could deal with Victoria then, and I'd be home with my father, and once she left their house, Alice would come see me and everything would be better. What if I faked a headache? What if I told them I'd just drive my truck home to go to sleep? Would Alice let me leave like that?

I shuffled closer to the door, a movement that didn't go unnoticed by anyone in the room. I could see straight outside, of course, because the entire backside of the house was made of glass, and I could see that it had gotten much darker since we left the backyard – would it even be safe for me to go out there? I wouldn't be able to see anything as I made my way to my truck. I just thought it would be the best idea if I got as far as away from Victoria as possible right now.

"Alice," Carlisle suggested, his eyes lingering on me, as I shifted from side to side, "why don't you and Edward and Bella go upstairs to get that present for Emmett and Rosalie? I'll talk with Victoria and by the time we're done, we should be able to continue our festivities by having the happy couple open presents."

Edward's firm grip on my arm as he dragged me out of the room was enough to tell me that my vain attempt at escaping was not appreciated. They dragged me all the way upstairs, Alice closing every door as we went, and as Edward sat me firmly on Alice's bed, I was about to open my mouth to protest, but he placed his giant hand on top of it.

Grabbing a piece of paper off her desk, she quickly scribbled '_She can hear us' _on top of it.

Edward said, "Where did you hide the present, Bella?"

Urging me on with a look, I quickly scrambled to make up a lie that seemed believable, as Edward wrote something down on his paper again. I mumbled a long – horribly made up – story about their presents and their hide-outs, as Alice and Edward continued to write messily to each other on the piece of paper between them. I couldn't make out everything they wrote because it happened so fast I couldn't follow, but a few words stood out to me, and it was definitely something with Victoria and the fact that Edward couldn't seem to get a clear read of her head.

Apparently, she didn't even know what she was doing here yet.

Alice mumbled a fake reply to me, and turned the paper over, scribbling something new on top of it. Thrusting it into my hands, she and Edward continued to unhook her flat screen TV from its place in the wall.

My eyes scanned the few words written there, _You need to get out of here. _

Well, at least we agreed on that fact. I gave my girlfriend a short nod and whispered, "How?" knowing that Victoria couldn't read anything weird into that one, simple word.

Edward tugged the TV beneath his one arm and flashed his teeth at me. "Found it!" he eagerly yelped, putting much power behind his words, just to ensure that everybody downstairs heard what he'd just said; loud and clear.

Alice messily wrote another message to me beneath the last one: _Tell them you need to go. I'll come to you later. _

Sometimes it amazed me how alike Alice and I thought. This was exactly what I'd been thinking, too. But I guess it was a good thing that we excused ourselves before I left, just to make sure that we were on the same page. Wouldn't it be stupid if I did something and they wanted me to do something completely else? Like this, we matched.

Edward motioned towards the closed bedroom door and turned to leave, leading us down the hallway again. Alice had an arm wrapped around me as we descented the stairs and I felt like I was stuck in some lame show or something, but this was real and Victoria was here to – possibly? - hurt me, and it all depended on whether or not I was able to make my escape quick enough. At one point she'd lose it, and if I was here when it happened – I didn't really want to consider _that_.

Placing the TV on the floor in the middle of the room, Edward said, "Sorry, Bella didn't have tome to wrap it up."

Rosalie shot us an amused smile, "Oh. An old flat screen TV, how thoughtful of you guys."

Victoria's eyes were moving between us; she was sitting on the couch, and Carlisle and Esme were standing in front of her, and it didn't seem like they'd really moved on further with this conversation. Her eyes lingered on me again, and I realised that it was my fault – I was way too distracting. Which was probably why Carlisle had wanted me out of the room to begin with. I needed to leave so they could sort this out. Perhaps if I wasn't there they could talk to Victoria and make her realise that nothing good would ever come of killing me; that she'd only get herself destroyed in the process and what fun was that for anybody?

I made a quick decision and faked a giant yawn. "Man, I'm so tired and I've got to be up _so_ early in the morning for that family birthday – remember, it's my cousin's birthday? I really must drive home now." I lied to them all, quite horribly, but that didn't matter much.

Alice's eye twitched, and I could see Jasper and Kate sharing a look of 'what is she doing?', before Emmett nodded his head, "That's right! Yeah, tell your cousin happy birthday from us."

"And drive safe." Carlisle added from the couch, a saying look in my direction.

I pecked Alice lightly on the cheek. "I'll call you to say goodnight." I mumbled, before I backed towards the door; it was only a couple of inches away by now, and as soon as I was out of there, I'd get into my truck and return home.

"Call me as soon as you're home." Alice replied. I could see the worry in her eyes; how she longed to go with me, but knew that it was better if she stayed to figure out what it was that Victoria wanted out of this.

Casting a glance at the redhead on the couch, I saw that she was curiously watching our exchange, trying to calculate what was happening. I swallowed loudly and turned to walk the last few steps forward towards the door, like a normal human being would – however, right as I turned, I managed to stumble (of course I did, my name's not Bella Swan for nothing!) over my own two feet, and before I knew what was happening, I crashed head first into the glass wall right in front of me.

I smelled it before I felt the pain or heard the crash – the familiar metallic smell of blood that seemed to follow me a lot.

Dang it.

* * *

_I am so fucking sorry about the obnoxiously long delay between this chapter and the last! There are no valid excuses, except for the fact that I got caught up in my Glee story and just couldn't seem to let it be. However, it is extremely ridiculous to keep you guys waiting for more for so long, since there's only a few chapters left. _

_I hope this chapter made up for everything – not much drama yet, except for at the end, which will continue at the start of the next chapter, of course. I hope you liked the small ceremony though. I had a few troubles with the ending and how I wanted everything to play out once Victoria arrived, and I'm still not completely satisfied, but it'll have to do! _

_This is for Sophia (since I wasn't able to get back to you via your review): First and foremost, thank you for those kind words! They really made my day and are what any author wants to hear :-) I just wanted to let you know that your review really touched me, because helping someone in that way is exactly what I hope to do with my writing, and if I truly did make you feel better – then I'm very glad that I did. I hope you're feeling okay with everything, realising these sort of feelings is always very hard. Thank you for reviewing and take care, please! :) _

_And for honey (just because you're so awesome!): Thank you SO much for reading and reviewing both this story and Take Me Or Leave Me. I'm glad that you like this and I shall be writing on the next chapter of the other one as soon as I have a spare hour on my hands! _

_**Disclaimer; **I don't own Twilight. _


	21. Chapter Twenty One

**Chapter Twenty One **

It took a few seconds for me to really grasp the seriousness of the situation I'd just managed to stumble (literally) into. As I lifted my upper body from the ground with a deep painful moan, I found two sets of eyes glancing down at me from the broken glass wall; Alice was leaning against it, her topaz eyes wide and round, and Edward stood right behind her, a scowl painted across his face.

An enormous amount of pain shot through my backside, and as I placed my hand to the ground to get off the grass, a sharp flash of pain went through that, too. "Holy fucking shit!" I cursed, and lifted my hand, seeing a long piece of glass edged into the palm of my hand, drops of blood prickling from it.

That was about the time were total and complete chaos ensued in the Cullen house. Before I even had time to get myself off the ground and away from all the glass, Alice had jumped through the hole in the wall, just as Edward turned to block the path from a very hungry red-headed vampire, who was evidently not cool with the smell of blood unless it came from one of her frigging meals. She was growling a few feet away from me, as Emmett held strongly onto her left arm, while Carlisle had a firm grip on the other.

On the other side of the room, Kate had jumped into action, just as Jasper's frantic eyes landed on me, his pupils dilated completely. She kept a firm grip on his arm, struggling to keep him there, and Edward was next to her in an instant, grabbing the other arm, as Jasper scowled in my direction.

Esme looked at us with worried eyes, her nose pinched firmly between her pointer-finger and thumb. "Sorry, Bella." she whispered, eyeing my palm which was now soaked in my own blood. "I need to go." she mumbled, before she fled the room, rushing pass the others and towards the kitchen.

Rosalie was by our sides in a flash when Alice tried to lift me away from the shattered glass without causing me more damage. I could feel my pulse beat roughly in my chest as they grabbed each an arm and hauled me off to the side; my eyes were focused on Victoria who was pulling and pushing to get away from her capturers. There was a mad look in her blood red eyes, and I could tell that it was seriously taking its toll on Emmett and Carlisle to hold her between them.

"Fucking blood." Alice mumbled next to me, as her lithe hands skimmed across my backside, trying to see how much damage the glass wall had done to my skin. It honestly didn't hurt that much, but there was a giant hole in their wall and pieces of glass lay spread over the green grass like it had been raining razor sharp pieces for hours. I was almost scared to know how my back looked at this moment.

Victoria hissed in her prison. "Let me go!" she spat, kicking her leg towards Carlisle, who just managed to miss being hit. "_Release me_!"

My eyes locked with Alice's and I hissed out sharply when her fingers hit a piece of glass still stuck in my lower back. "I need to get away from here." I told her.

Kate interrupted our conversation with a firm nod in our direction, "We need to go!" she firmly said, tugging harshly on Jasper's arm, to get him to focus on her and not me or the struggle that his family was having, keeping Victoria there, "_Jazz_! You can't stay here, it's too dangerous."

I knew that Jasper couldn't find this situation easy at all. I remembered – Alice had told me that he wasn't as used to their vegetarian lifestyle as the others were. He just wasn't able to handle it as well as them. And I immediately felt guilty for making him feel like he had to abandon his family when he clearly wanted to be there to help them keep a hold of Victoria. And I felt ever guiltier for making him feel like he wanted to eat me. I _liked_ Jasper, he was a good guy.

"Go Jasper!" Edward's low voice cut through Victoria's screeching, "_Go_. We'll be fine, just – get out of here, for Christ's sake!"

This time, Jasper let Kate wrap a firm hand around his biceps, and she forced him out of there, dragging him towards the kitchen, following right in Esme's tracks. I had no idea where they were heading off to, but I assumed they were leaving for the forest through the back-door in the kitchen. The guilt was overwhelming and it overshadowed all of the pain I'd felt in my back before. I barely felt it anymore, as I watched Rosalie bounce from my side and to Emmett's – clearly to help them both keep a hold of Victoria.

Carlisle's voice cut through the chaos with firm authority. "Alice." he said, glancing briefly at me with worry in his eyes. "Get Bella upstairs, I'll be there in a second; we need to handle this."

I could feel Alice's cold hand as she pushed me around the house; the dark had settled in around the Cullen residence, and the trees stood all high and mighty as we went around the giant building. I felt a shiver run down my spine and thought that I could feel millions of little eyes watching me from the shadows. Alice's breathing was comforting though, right there next to me, as she gently guided me through the kitchen door and upstairs, closing every possible door as we went, ending in Carlisle's study with a loud sigh.

I breathed out sharply once more when I tried to take a seat and realised that it fucking hurt to do that. "What's happening?" I questioned, placing my hand, palm down, on my thigh, just to keep some sort of pressure on the stinging wound. The cut fucking hurt.

Alice closed her eyes tightly and heaved out. "They're trying to drag her off somewhere, but she's really strong. This is bad, Bella. _Fucking shit_!" she angrily whispered, kicking the couch.

I blinked and could feel the familiar pang of tears in my eyes. "I'm sorry, this is all my fault."

"No it's not." Alice quickly snapped, her now black eyes turning to meet mine with fierceness. "It's that_ bitch_ Victoria! She fucking won't give up. I don't know where they're taking her to calm down, but she'll come back. You can't stay here."

My throat tightened horribly and I shivered in my clothes. "Why don't they just... get rid of her?" As much as it pained me to ask her this, it seemed like the best idea to me. That way she wouldn't bother us again and I'd remain, well, _alive_.

Alice shook her head and pushed her hair back with her small hands. "Carlisle's not like that. He doesn't like destroying one of his own, he's too good."

I sunk back against the wall, ignoring the stings in my back as I rested my head against the wall, thinking. Fuckety fucking fuck. I'd really managed to screw this day of celebration up royally, hadn't I? What the crap was it about me that just spelled disaster? No matter where I went and what I did, I always ended up screwing things up so badly. I hated myself right now, I really did.

"They're taking off." Alice mumbled, falling onto the old couch by the back wall, her eyes focused on the window – she was probably watching her family as they went into the dark forest. "They're going to meet Jasper and Kate out there, Esme's downstairs now. Edward and Carlisle will come back, and the others are going to take Victoria to the reservation."

I felt my eyes widen. If they really did take her to the reservation, then – well, fuck me. If they took her out there, there was not a doubt in my mind that the wolves would destroy her. If they managed to get her out there, mind you. Sure, there were four of them, but she was smart, wasn't she? She was supposed to be smart, at least that's what I'd heard; she'd been avoiding everyone for weeks now, and she was _fast_. What if she got away, what if-?

Alice shook her head at me. "She won't get away, Bella. They'll get her out there, and Carlisle will leave it up to Sam Uley to decide what to do with her. It's out of his hands that way."

I sighed heavily. "The wolves are gonna love that."

"Emmett's not too thrilled about missing another epic fight." Alice smiled vainly at me, a glint in her eye, "But since we killed off James, Carlisle feels it's only fair to let the Quileutes have their way with her. After all, they've been following her for weeks now."

I slid down the wall and to the floor, once more ignoring the painful stabs in my back. I couldn't wait for Carlisle to return so he could fix those. "Are you sure they'll just let the wolves kill her? Carlisle doesn't seem like the type."

Alice shrugged. "Maybe once she calms down – away from your blood – they'll try to reason with her. I'm not sure. I think they should let the wolves destroy her into tiny little pieces. That way she'd be out of our hair."

I couldn't agree with her more, but I wasn't going to say that. If Carlisle decided on something else, then I'd believe he was doing the right thing. I'd never doubted him before and I wasn't going to start doing it now. He was the smartest, most intelligent man I'd ever known; every word across his lips was sincere and correct, and I could listen to him speak for ages when he told me stories and facts about vampires. "What did Victoria want tonight?" I whispered then, knowing that Alice must have had some sense of idea of this by now.

My girlfriend bit her lip in thought for a second, until she glanced at me once more. "She wanted to come here to see how important you were to us." she whispered, her fingers writhing in her lap as they twitched and turned. "She wasn't going to attack today, she just – she was going to see how much we were willing to do to protect you. She was just checking out the scene, figuring out when to strike."

I closed my eyes and nodded my head faintly.

"I'm sorry it ended like this." Alice murmured, and suddenly I could feel her presence right next to me, and I opened my lids again, glancing at her through hooded eyes, "I'm sorry she's after you, and – and she was trying to figure out how powerful I am, how powerful Edward's mind-reading is. It should have never ended up like this."

Snorting, I placed my good hand on her cheek and cupped it. "Don't _you_ apologise." I firmly told her, my eyes locked with hers. "I'm the one who can't walk a straight line without tripping. If I'd managed to get outside without shattering a glass wall with my body, everything might've been better right now."

Alice chuckled lowly and continued to press a lingering kiss to my lips. I could feel my heartbeat pick up slightly and smiled to myself. Everything was okay, though, wasn't it? I was still alive and I still had her, so it was going to be fine. No matter what happened to Victoria, I was going to be_ fine_. Except for the humiliation I'd have to feel when facing the rest of the Cullens, but that was to be dealt with later.

The door was opened and we looked up to find Carlisle looking down at us, a strained smile on his face. "They're with her near the meadow, Alice, you should go join them. Edward will follow you." he told his smallest daughter, and Alice quickly shot up from her crouch next to me and saluted her father.

I watched her go and turned to face Carlisle with an embarrassed blush on my cheeks. "Sorry." I mumbled.

"Could you please lie down on your front?" Carlisle softly questioned me, not commenting on any of the things that had happened. He kneeled down next to me and smoothed his hand down my side as I followed instructions. "Doesn't look too bad." he mumbled and reached for his medicine bag, which was always stocked away inside his office, "I'm going to have to pull out a few pieces of glass and disinfect everything, but you should be absolutely fine."

I murmured something incoherent into the carpet and winced as he started working. "Are you going to let Victoria go?"

Carlisle was quiet for a few seconds, focused entirely on his job, as he worked. "I told Emmett to reason with her, to kindly ask her to never come back. I don't like fighting one of our own, it seems wrong." he carefully told me, and I knew that there was no arguing his beliefs. He was a proud man, and men like him didn't just hurt people for no apparent reason, not if things could be dealt with somehow else. "But I also informed him that if she seems adamant about coming back for you someday, he shouldn't hesitate informing the Quileutes of this encounter. They'll know what to do."

Biting my lip as he ran his hand over a more painful wound, I stated, "You seem to like the wolves a lot?"

He chuckled. "We could benefit from a friendship with them. After everything that's happened, I think we proved that we can all be acquaintances without hating one another. Not that _we _ever did, but-" he stopped himself, and I knew that the appropriate way to end that sentence was '-they hated us'.

I nodded against the carpet and felt him rub some sort of liquid onto my back; it stung a little, but at least the painful glass was removed and I didn't seem to need stitches. Maybe this was my lucky day after all. "I'm sorry I ruined everything." I told him, as I hoisted myself up into a sitting position, now clearly done with the medical-attention.

"Rosalie was rather furious that their party got cut short." Carlisle informed me, as we both stood up. He gave me a once-over, "Do you have something to wear in your truck, or do I need to get you something of Esme's?"

I wrapped my arms around myself and gave him a faint smile. "I'll find something in my truck." I mumbled, before I brushed pass him to get the hell out of there. I felt so guilty – I know it wasn't his intention to make me feel that way, but what he said about Rosalie, it really got to me. Hadn't I been such a stupid, clumsy human, they would have still been partying away downstairs and not roaming around in the forest with a vicious vampire.

I could hear Carlisle go to find Esme inside their bedroom; probably to talk to her, maybe to make her feel better after I – the _stupid_ human – managed to start bleeding and break their wall. I went outside as silently as I possibly could, carefully avoiding the living room; I did not want to have to look at the mess I'd created in there. I hoped that someone else was going to clean it up for me, because if I had to do it, I'd have to face everything, and I wasn't quite ready to do all of that.

Opening the door into the passenger's side, I slowly sorted through the mess I had in there, finding my comforting hoodie. I pulled Alice's beautiful – now ruined – dress off my body and slipped my sweatshirt over my head. It was rather long but I was in dire need of some sort of pants as well. I shivered slightly in the cool night air and ended up finding a pair of old gym shorts stocked beneath some of my school books. I slipped into them as well and sighed happily. It wasn't as warm and comfortable as I would have liked, but it was better than nothing.

Slapping the door close I gazed towards the Cullen house. The light was on in Carlisle and Esme's bedroom and I felt wrong for intruding on their time. They deserved to be able to sort through their feelings and thoughts, and frankly – so did I. Biting my lip, I decided to just go for a short walk around the nearby forest. I'd just pass around the house or something. After all, there was nothing out there for me to fear as of now, was there? And Alice had said herself that it was better if I wasn't near the house. I'm sure she wouldn't mind; I needed to work off some steam anyway.

I crossed the garden and skipped through the beautiful decorations, once more feeling stupid and useless for ruining such an amazing night. This was supposed to be Rosalie and Emmett's special night, and I remembered thinking – just hours earlier – that this was exactly what I wanted one day as well. To be with exactly these people and have exactly this experience. But would they ever even want to now? I felt like a complete idiot.

There was colder once I stepped beneath the first trees, and I wrapped my arms around myself, letting my feet carry me wherever as I pondered the last few hours. I needed to walk this frustration out; the frustration of not being good enough. I just needed to lose myself completely, to be so tired and worn out that I wouldn't have to think about all of this. If I used up all of my energy there'd be nothing for me to do but sleep for a very long time once I returned back to the Cullen house. Hopefully I'd be able to slip upstairs unnoticed and it'd leave the inevitable facing of the others for a little while longer. I couldn't bare having to look into Rosalie's hurt eyes. Despite everything we'd said to one another, and all the hostility she first put me through, we really were good friends now. She might still not be the sweetest of persons, but it was an endearing quality that I'd come to love.

I'm sure Emmett wouldn't feel so angry with me; he'd probably be psyched that I managed to create some drama on his special day, he'd even think that it was my gift for him (I snorted at this; that'd be way cooler than the flat screen TV I'd 'gotten' for them out of Alice's room). I wasn't sure I'd be able to face Jasper, really. I knew he was ashamed that he couldn't handle blood the way his siblings could. He was the newest addition to their family, of course, but he still felt bad about it. I was actually surprised he'd been able to restrain himself for jumping at me for as long as he had; maybe the feeling of helping his siblings had given him strength, but still... I felt like an idiot for putting him through this, Kate too.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid! _I hissed at myself and angrily kicked a small pebble into nowhere.

And sweet, caring Esme... I'd managed to make her feel bad too. She'd had to leave the room as well. And whose fault was that? Mine, of course! And while Carlisle hadn't mentioned it, I'm sure he was annoyed that I'd managed to screw everything up again. It was just like at the school dance where I'd been left alone and everyone had dropped everything to come to my rescue because that stupid vampire wanted my blood. Maybe Carlisle would never say so aloud, but I'm sure he felt it. Or perhaps he was just really focused on the task at hand, but really... he'd been a doctor for longer than _anyone_ else – he could do this with his eyes closed.

I wasn't too sure what Alice felt right now. She'd made it seem like she was okay with everything and just happy that I was still breathing (which I knew she was – she loved me), but she must have felt some kind of annoyance with me, right? She should have changed me forever ago and we wouldn't have had to deal with this! It was the same with Edward really. I knew he cared about me immensely, but wouldn't I cause just about everyone to want to pull their hair out? I was the recipe for disaster.

Coming to a halt suddenly, when a branch whipped against my shoulder, I realised that I'd ventured further into the forest than I'd first wanted to. I'd never been to this part of the forest before; it must be pretty far inside, because the trees were taller than I'd ever seen and I could hear the distinct sound of a river nearby. Which was great, really, because I knew the river defined the treaty – but where _the fuck _was I, really? I was lost.

Sighing heavily, I threw myself to the ground and folded my arms around myself. This was just great. Typical, typical Bella Swan. I'd been so consumed in my self-pity that I'd manage to fuck things up even more. Now – on top of everything else – they'd have to send out a search-party for me so I wouldn't freeze to death.

_Fucking shit! _

Maybe I should consider just finding my way back somehow? I turned my head to all sides, trying to locate the right direction, but – who the fuck was I kidding, really? Trying to find my way back would only get me lost further. I'd better wait it out... But still. I could hear the water, right? So if the river was nearby, all I had to do to get to the road was follow it downwards. That seemed simple enough. And if Alice realised I was gone before I got there, she'd find me in an instant. After all, she was fast, had an amazing sense of smell – _and,_ well, she could see me wherever I was by tuning in on me. I'd be found within thirty minutes!

I scrambled up from my seat on the cold forest ground, dusting off my shorts and bare legs. The river was most certainly to my left, so I moved that way, zigzagging between giant trees, and ignoring the cold shudders I felt every now and then when I was almost convinced that some animal had zoomed in on me and was ready to strike. It was comforting that I didn't have to worry about vampires, at least.

It took me about fifteen minutes to find the river. I wasn't wearing a watch and I didn't bring my cell phone, but I was pretty sure I couldn't have been gone much longer than for an our and a half, two hours tops. Alice must've realised I was gone by now, and soon I'd be tucked inside her warm and comfortable bed, and I wouldn't have to worry about facing the others before tomorrow morning. Emmett and Edward would tease me for running off like this; Esme would scowl at them, and Alice would grab my hand in hers and never let go again.

Pushing through a naturally made wall of branches and leaves, I bid back a scream. Holy fucking shit, that was _close_! I was standing on the edge of the giant river side; the canyon was deep beneath me, the river pulsating through it with no mercy as it pushed pass rocks and fallen trees. It was a starry night, and everything was illuminated from above, which made it a lot easier to see now that I wasn't standing beneath the giant trees inside the woods.

I took a step backwards, pushing my back against the trunk of a tall tree. Following the river towards the road might be a little more difficult than I'd first assumed – the trees were basically standing at the edge, leaving no room for anyone – even someone as small as me – to follow it. Of course I could step just into the forest and make sure to follow the direct path of the river as I walked, but how would I know for sure that I didn't stray away from it? I could check in every once in a while, but that meant I'd have to push my way through branches like the ones I just did, and frankly, the cuts on my hands were stinging madly, so I'd rather not.

Should I just wait for Alice to come find me? That seemed rather idiotic too, since it was – in fact – my own fault that I was now in this position. Leave it to me to do something like this, even after the vampires were out of the equation.

"Fucking idiotic..." I mumbled to myself as I stepped into the woods again, determined to find my way out of this on my own, "Shit's just frigging fantastic! Great Bella, just great!" I hissed, turning to the right to continue following the energetic river. I'd just have to step out to make sure I was still going in the right direction.

I angrily placed one foot in front of the other, growling to myself. Situations like these just shouldn't be allowed to happen. Someone should make sure to stop me before I decided to do things like 'take a walk to clear my head'. Seriously. What was wrong with me? What good had ever come out of going into the forest without a compass or some sort of map? I was getting more and more certain that my head wasn't screwed on right.

Coming to a halt, I decided to check if I was still close to the river. I slowly pushed through the trees on my right, determined not to end up near the edge once more. It had been a close call before, and I knew that the trees were millimetres from falling into the river themselves. Heck, several of them already had, and some were hanging by a tread. I bid back a huff and fisted my hand to forcefully shove this thick wall of nature out of the way. Lifting my feet to give it a good kick, I suddenly felt something shift beneath me, and before I knew what had happened, my footing was lost and I felt backwards; my sore back slamming into the rocky ground. Everything went black for a second, and suddenly I felt the ground move once more; a maddening sound of rocks falling and loud splashes from the river below me, shook me to life. I reached for something – anything – to hold onto, as the ground disappeared beneath me and into the water.

My hand clutched tightly around a branch. It was the only thing in my reach, and I almost didn't dare turn my head downwards to look towards the bottom of the canyon. My heart was thudding madly, and suddenly I wasn't so cold anymore; sweat had broken out on my forehead, and I felt my hand slipping from the only thing that was holding me in place right now. Beneath me was water, endless amounts of water, and I swallowed loudly.

There was no way in fucking hell that I was getting out of this right now, if Alice didn't turn up this _instant_.

I frantically searched the side of canyon with my eyes, trying to see if maybe there was a ledge or something that I could slip onto somehow. There were plenty, thankfully, but they were all small and rather useless. However, there was one further down that seemed big enough for me to sit on. If I could just camp out there until Alice found me, then that'd just be grand. Since I was quickly coming to realise that I wouldn't able to hang onto this branch forever, it had to happen rather soon. It was making weird cracking noises, and if it snapped on me, I'd slide down the side of this canyon and end in the water.

Biting my lip, I decided to try my luck. There was a small ledge further over, and if I got successfully onto that one, I should be able to make my escape to the one I had in mind. I carefully shifted my grip on the branch to the other hand and slowly started leaning my foot over; letting it glide against the rocky side of the canyon. Nature crippled above me and I turned my eyes upwards to fasten them on the piece of wood I was clinging onto for dear life.

One horrific sound made my eyes widen, and before I knew it, I was sliding down the side with a giant swoosh; I shut my eyes tightly and shielded my head with my arms, as my already battered back hit rocks and ledges and whatnot. This was _it_ – I could feel it. I'd escaped death so many times before, now it was going to be over. I'd die at the mercy of the giant river beneath me, and maybe I should be thankful, because that seemed like the way to go instead of ending up as dinner to Victoria.

A loud shriek escaped my lungs as I came to a stumbling halt. Opening my eyes, I realised I was perched on the edge of another ledge, still feet above the actual water. Scrambling to secure myself, I pushed my back against the wall and moaned in displeasure. I could barely breathe and the pain on my entire body was maddening. Every place hurt; my back was hunched over in a weird angle, and I'm sure that something was broken – the pain in my neck was insufferable. I couldn't even bother paying attention to the cuts and bruises on my bare legs, or the way that my left foot seemed to be bent out of shape.

I breathed in as calmly as I could and lowered myself onto the ground in the most comfortable position. There was no way that I was going to survive this. Even if Alice found me, I was pretty sure that Carlisle wouldn't be able to put me back together.

I'd really managed to screw things up this time around.

_Shit Alice, I'm sorry, _I thought.

That's where everything went black.

* * *

_Eep! So sorry about the long delay (yes, I do realise that I say this everytime, but I really am). Next chapter – the last chapter! - should be here quicker though, because I'm going to work on it right away. I hope this chapter was worth the wait, though. A lot of you had concerns about Victoria coming there, and I do realise that maybe that was a bit out of character for her. I hope her reasons were clear enough in this though. _

_Oh. And I've been dreading writing this chapter since I started writing this story, and it turns out it really was as difficult as I'd presumed. I'm not good at drama like this! I hope it wasn't too horrible though. There was a lot action and not really that much dialogue in the end. Gah. I love me some dialogue, but I hope it was still worth reading. I do realise that Bella leaving the house is extremely stupid, and before you comment on it, I'd just like to say that that's exactly how I see her. She'd leave the house in a situation like this. Just like she decides to go cliff diving and go hiking all alone. _

_Anyway! I hope you enjoyed it, and please leave me your comments – I'd love to know your thoughts on this – slightly different – chapter. _

_**Disclaimer; **I don't own Twilight. _


	22. Epilogue

**Epilogue **

Man, that was _some_ situation I had managed to get caught up in back there.

But it had all led me up to this point; all of it. _Everything_.

Everything from meeting her, dealing with the three muggers, to classes at school and a wonderful project, to falling in love with her; dealing with Charlie, dealing with the Cullens, to knowing about the Quileutes and fighting Victoria and James off for the first time, then "I love you" – and after that the school dance where James returned and Victoria escaped; to the ring full of promises and to touches of forever; to Renée and to a family gathering, before the woods ended it all.

Slipping down, a body; battered and broken.

I distinctly remember Edward's erratic breathing as we clung onto the ledge beside her. His eyes were full of concern as they locked with mine. "You have to make a choice," he'd firmly told me, his fingers cradling the head of hair I loved so much, "you either let her die – or you _change_ her."

Back then, I wasn't nearly strong enough to do something like that (I don't even think I am now), so I'd made my decision; I'd gathered her mangled body in my arms and somehow managed to make the way back to our home, resisting the urge to sink my teeth into the pale neck, or maybe lick a piece of that tempting blood from her stained clothing. I'd rested her on the couch in Carlisle's office, and he'd wasted no time; he'd placed his lips on her skin and I'd watched her face scrunch up in pain and discomfort as the venom overtook her body and sat everything on fire.

Things hadn't been easy afterwards. First I'd had to watch how it hurt her; I'd had to listen to her cries of agony for two days straight while the venom entered her heart and her body healed itself. I'd barely managed to keep myself away from her side, and as soon as she was changed, I'd hoped that everything would be better, but of course. She was too scared to talk to any of us, and she went batshit crazy for several days straight until we got her blood and the burning in her throat was assuaged – even if it was only for a brief second.

Emmett had driven her truck away from our house. He'd parked it somewhere on the dirt road and ditched her keys on the ledge she had been lying on. When Charlie realised that she was gone, we'd told him that she drove off that evening around nine o'clock to go home, and then nobody had seen her since. They found her truck and their dogs followed the fake trail we'd laid out for them with Bella's scent and some of her blood – that eventually led them to the ledge and when they found her keys, they assumed she'd fallen into the river and that her body was now hundreds of miles away from us.

Charlie was crushed, Renée was crushed. The student population at Forks High was confused. The Quileutes kept an eye on us as we all attended the 'funeral' they held for her. Two days after that, we packed our things together, and I told Charlie that it was too painful for me to stay in this town, where all of our memories were. He'd told me he understood perfectly, and that my parents were wonderful for moving because it was the best thing for me.

We moved to Denali. Which was amazing for Jasper and Kate because they could fully be together that way. And maybe Edward even attempted a romance with one of Kate's sisters; I'm not too sure. I didn't really focus on much during our time in Denali. I was only able to focus on Bella and helping her adjusting to this new and confusing life that she had. I was relieved that I hadn't lost her, but I could also tell that it was going to take a long time before we could be the Bella and Alice that I loved and _missed_.

She had a lot of set-backs; she killed humans, at least a dozen, but Carlisle kept my spirits going by telling me that she was getting better, slowly, steadily. I just crossed my fingers and hoped that one day it'd be as easy for her as it was for me.

The stupid thing about it was just that I'd _known_ – I'd known this would happen since before I even, officially, knew her. I'd been so confused by my visions when we were back in Forks. I'd told her – plenty of times! - to stay the fuck away from the forest, hadn't? I surely had. Because I'd _seen_ her lie there; broken, on that ledge. And I told her not to go into the woods simply because I couldn't let her die that way. And that was even before I knew about the wolves and the nomadic vampires passing through! After everything that happened, I hadn't forgotten my vision; I'd simply assumed that maybe I'd been wrong. It had happened to me before, and it'd most definitely happen to me again. But I shouldn't have let it slide – because just as everything seemed to be working out, it fucking went and became true.

Thankfully, we'd manage to save her the best way we saw possible. Even if it hadn't been in our plans to change her yet, it was either that or apparent death. It hadn't been difficult for me to choose, because without her by my side – I might _die_.

I'd loved her since I saw her in my dreams all those years ago; saw her move to Forks and get harassed by three guys at least twice her size. She'd been my Bella since then – and she still was, _thankfully_. I wouldn't be me if I didn't have her.

"Alice?"

I turned my head to the side and smiled warmly at Esme, who'd poked her auburn head through the doorway, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Yes?" I lightly chipped, feeling my insides tighten with an emotion unmistakably a lot like love.

Her eyes gazed over me, and I knew that she knew how long I'd been waiting for this moment. Twenty six years to be exact. "Are you ready?" she breathlessly whispered.

Nodding my head, I pulled myself away from my seat and smoothed my dress over. I wanted everything to be perfect today. We might be able to celebrate something akin to this in the future, but there'd only ever be truly _one_ day like this. And it was today. I placed my small hand inside Esme's and said, with confidence, "I'm ready."

"Good." she confirmed, before she gently dragged me through the warm and cosy house and towards the back-door, into the streaming sunlight. I saw her skin shine beautifully like a gazillion diamonds as we made our way across the grass, and it felt like this day might be the best day of my entire existence. Everything was wonderful; the sounds of the birds chipping lightly in the nearby trees, the way the sun warmed all of us, and the way my white dress clung perfectly to my tiny frame. I knew that my entire family was waiting just around the corner for me, and that feeling made my chest tighten painfully. But in a very, very good way.

Edward met me with a kiss to the cheek and dutifully linked our arms, as Esme left to join the others. I could tell that he was proud that this day had come, that we had managed to get through this and still be intact, still be _in love_.

Rosalie's fingers started shimmering across the piano keys, and we slowly – steadily – made our way forward; as we rounded the corner, I couldn't help but heave out deeply. The breath simply left my lungs, because there. At the end of that makeshift aisle. There was my girl, my future, my everything – my Bella. And she looked stunning, wearing something that reminded me a lot of the outfit Rosalie had dressed her up in all those years ago when we had to attend a silly school dance. Except this was more classy, thankfully, because – this was our wedding after all. She needn't look sexy with her buttons undone. She just needed to look beautiful; not that she didn't always to me.

I met her by the makeshift podium and Carlisle grinned when we shared a brief kiss, before joining our hands like it was custom to do. He was officiating this ceremony too, of course, just like he'd done at Emmett and Rosalie's renewal of vows. I just hoped that this day would end much more lovingly than the other one had; preferably with Bella screaming my name at the top of her lungs. (I smirked inwardly at the thought).

Her cold fingers were clasping mine tightly, and I gazed at her from the corner of my eye. The piano was softly humming in the background and behind us were a row of smiling faces. She was trembling, I could see, but she looked beautiful as she shifted slightly and the light ricocheted dimly from the nape of her neck, sending thousands of sun-diamonds shattering around us. Her hair was shorter now, we'd had to cut a big chunk of it once when she got into trouble, and when she was calm enough to let me do so, I'd cut it just above her shoulders in a fancy 'do.

She was – in no other words – _perfect_.

"Alice and Bella," Carlisle begun, I heard Kate heave in deeply from behind me; she'd been waiting for this, too, "we're gathered here today, to witness as the two of you join each other in holy matrimony."

Biting my lip, I still couldn't hide the giant grin that came across my face then.

Carlisle couldn't hide his either, "You've both prepared your vows."

Bella squeezed my hand tightly again, gazing down at me from her tall stilettos with her slightly red-slightly brown eyes. They still hadn't settled on a colour completely after she was changed; it took a lot of years to accomplish the golden orbs the rest of us spotted. But that didn't make her any less beautiful to me.

She gently whispered, "A long time ago, I was told the most incredibly true story of two lovers. I've since then thought a lot about it; the story even stayed with me through the transition, it's always been powerful to me. It's the story about restraint, hope, power, determination, and most of all – love." she paused briefly, "It's the story about Emmett and Rosalie."

I turned my head slightly to the side and saw Emmett grinning up at me like the big goof ball I knew he was. Jasper placed a brotherly arm around him and gave me thumbs up, mouthing 'there you go, sis!'.

Bella continued, "Rosalie carried Emmett for miles as he was bleeding to death. It was hard for her to handle, and I've always admired her greatly for being able to restrain herself from hurting him, for giving in to what her body wanted her to. Since the first time I heard this story, I always thought to myself that that was the most romantic thing someone could ever do for another person." her thumb flickered gently over the back of my hand and it sent a wave of tingles from the spot and towards my belly. "You did that for me."

I'd never really thought of it that way, but when she put it like that, I most certainly had. I hadn't thought it to be a big romantic gesture when it happened, it simply just did, because it was the only thing I could do to save her. But it had been hard for me; only the love I held for her inside my heart had hardened me and made me keep going, even when I wanted nothing but to lower her body to the dirty forest ground and sink my teeth into the pale skin that was quickly drained from all of her blood.

"I did." I whispered to her.

She nodded, a piece of her hair falling into her eyes, "_You did_. And you made me a part of this wonderful family. I can't thank you enough for that. I love you."

Shifting awkwardly on my feet, it was my turn to say something right back to her. I'd gone over dozens of possibilities to present her with, lots of things that meant something to her, to me, to the both of us and this relationship. But when it all came down to it, there was really only one thing that was able to describe how I felt about her, and I'd recited it to her once before, and meant it just as I mean it now.

The music changed swiftly in the background as Rosalie got ready to accompany me.

I locked my eyes firmly with hers, and gently chimed, "_I carry your heart with me,_"

Her breath hitched slightly in her throat when she realised what I was doing.

"_(I carry it in my heart) I am never without it (anywhere I go, you go, my dear; and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling) I fear," _I continued to whisper to her, as our gazes grew stronger, and the space between us grew smaller, "_no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) I want no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true) and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sing is you._"

And just like the first time I'd done this to her, Bella's fingers clenched around mine, and she replied back to me, "_Here is the deepest secret nobody knows (here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide) this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart._"

I sighed heavily against her chin as we stood, nose to nose, together whispering, "_I carry your heart (I carry it in my heart)._"

"Alice," Bella whispered, her breath trailing a hot path across my skin, towards the shell of my ear, "you're so amazing, I love you."

I couldn't help but giggle against her, as our family joined us, creating a tiny circle for a giant family hug, "I can't believe we're finally here." I told her, clutching on to her tightly for good measure.

She rubbed her nose against mine, a completely serious look across her face. "I can. I knew it from the moment I laid eyes on you. You're my rare moment, my once-in-a-lifetime, my once-in-a-blue-moon. I'm so glad I found you."

I didn't reply to her, I simply wrapped my arms around as our family laughed and chatted amongst us. And Carlisle didn't even have to say the cliché words that come with every marriage ceremony; I was already kissing the bride, _my_ bride.

* * *

_Thank you so much for all your wonderful patience with me! And for believing in me. It has been some journey to write this story, and I would have never gotten through it, hadn't it been for you guys and your encouraging words. It has been challenging for me in a lot of ways, and I've had to write chapters so far out of my comfort zone that I hardly thought I could do it. But I did do it – and I'm so happy that I managed to. _

_I hope that everybody like this incredibly cliché ending I had planned. I have been doubting how to end this since I decided to turn it into a multi-chaptered story; I wasn't sure whether to let Bella die or have Victoria come find her, but in the end love pulled through for me – I wanted them to have each other; it was supposed to be a romance story more than an angst one, so there you go. I hope everyone's okay with that! _

_Once more, I thank you so much for sticking with me through this. It's hard to believe it's over, it's been such a huge part of me for a very long time now. Thank you! _

_**Disclaimer; **I don't own Twilight, and the rights to the poem belongs to e. e. cummings. _


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